Pass ob ^ 

Book i— 

GqpghtN? 

COKKIGHT DEPOSIT. 



The 

Building of the Bible 

An accurate account of the causes 
that led to the composition of the 
New Testament. When and how 
and where the various books 
were written. 



To which is added a critical 
history of the ancient manuscripts of the 
Bible, their physical and chirographical condition, where they may 
be found today, who owns them, their 
claims to authenticity, etc. 



BY 

WILLIAM G. CHILDRESS 



3> 5 



7.3 

,G 



Press of 
The Standard Printing Co. 
Incorporated 
Louisville, Ky. 



-6 1921 

§>C!.A611511 



Dedication 



the memory of my father who, for more 



than forty years, preached the Gospel of 
Jesus Christ, and to my mother who supported, 
with ceaseless care and devotion, his faithful 
work in the Great Cause — both serenely resting 
now in the beautiful Kingdoms of Eternity — 
this volume, born of the recollections and dreams 
of my childhood, is most affectionately 




dedicated 



Copyright 1921 
Childress and Dorsey 

All Rights Reserved 



FOREWORD 



T HAVE many times thought that an account 
of the origin of the New Testament, gleaned 
from sources authentic and unquestionable, 
would be welcomed by Bible readers every- 
where. To learn of the old manuscripts from 
which our sacred writings have been trans- 
lated; how and under what circumstances 
they had their birth ; where they may be found 
today; their physical and paleographical condi- 
tion ; whether they are yet serviceable, or whether 
by the corrosion of time they are slowly fading 
away ; how their present owners obtained them, 
hidden away, as many of them were, in secret 
archives and ancient monasteries — these things 
must surely interest the reader who desires to 
know the history of the Faith to which he or she 
claims a singular and earnest devotion. Such a 
work I hope the present volume will prove to be, 
a pleasing and searching light thrown upon the 
noble antiquity of our great Sacred Classic. 



THE AUTHOR. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I 
Aim and Purpose 
CHAPTER II 
Conditions — Spiritual, Political and Educational 
CHAPTER III 
Modes of Ancient Writing 
CHAPTER IV 
Beginning of the Gospel Dispensation 
CHAPTER V 
Paul and the Beginning of the New Testament 
CHAPTER VI 
Second Thessalonians- Corinthians 
CHAPTER VII 
Romans-Galatians 
CHAPTER VIII 
Colossians-Ephesians-Philippians- Philemon-Hebrews 
CHAPTER IX 
Pastoral Epistles 
CHAPTER X 
Peter-James-Jude-John 

CHAPTER XI 
St. Mark-St. Matthew 
CHAPTER XII 
St. Luke-St. John 
CHAPTER XIII 
Ancient Manuscripts 

CHAPTER XIV 
Manuscripts Continued 
CHAPTER XV 

The Canon 
CHAPTER XVI 
Versions 

CHAPTER XVII 
Versions Continued 

APPENDIX 
Interesting and Curious Facts about*the Bible 



THE 

BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



CHAPTER I. 
Aim and Purpose 



HE word "Bible", in English as in medi- 



A eval Latin, is always treated as a singular 
noun, but in its original Greek form a plural, 
correctly expressing the fact that the writings 
of Christendom are composed or made up of 
a number of independent records known as 
books or rolls, and which clearly set before us 
the different stages and periods in the accepted 
history of divine revelation. The separation 
of these writings from all other literature as 
the "Book of Books' 9 was derived from Jesus, 
who, with His contemporaries, acknowledged 
the authority of the Old Testament, which was 
conveyed in the Greek translation of the 
Septuagint, as the Word of God to the Gentile 
Christians by the followers of Christ. From 
remote ages these sacred writings have been 
the subject of great veneration. Even as a 
literary composition the Scriptures form the 




1 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



most remarkable book the world has ever 
seen. They are of noble antiquity, and con- 
tain a record of the deepest interest. The 
history of their great influence on mankind 
is the history of civilization. The wisest and 
the best have borne witness to their power as 
an instrument of holiness and enlightenment. 
Jerome aptly termed the Bible the " Divine 
Library.' ' Polycarp, profound in learning and 
noble in piety, referred to it as "The pilgrim's 
unerring Guide to Heaven/ ' Paul impres- 
sively called it "The Oracles of God." 

What manner of book then is this that 
comes down to us from the misty ages of time ! 
It enriches the poverty of the peasant in his 
lowly cottage, its precepts become the king 
more than his gorgeous crown. It rebukes 
the Croesus in his boundless wealth and says 
to pain and affliction: Behold, I lift the veil 
from the kingdom of eternity. Come, all ye 
that labour and are heavy laden, you whose 
sorrows cloud the sunlight of the soul, and you 
shall find a haven of eternal rest. "I am 
sometimes amazed," wrote Rousseau, "at the 
grandeur and noble simplicity of the Bible. 
Its grace and beauty, its lofty conceptions and 
divine diction compel my admiration." A 
great book, the classic of the ages, the lyre 

8 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



upon which heaven and the angels sing sweetly 
to dying men. "When I read the Bible," 
said Charles Spurgeon, "it seems to say: 
Hear me, man! In thy wanderings, in thy 
sorrows, listen to my voice ! I am calling thee 
to the Great Throne.' ' "It is the poetry of 
Heaven," said Justin Martyr. Sir David 
Francis, scholar and studious philosopher, 
declared that "in crushing force and majesty, 
in lyric flow and fire the poetry of the Scrip- 
tures is the most superb that ever burned in 
the breast of man." It arrests the thought, 
the mad rush of bewildered men, and im- 
plores them to take counsel of God. "Bring 
it near me," said the dying Cromwell, "and 
let me lay my hand upon its sacred pages as 
I pass away." 

Of this wonderful book we now propose to 
write, reviewing, in a limited way, the history 
of its early origin, its divine and literary 
growth from a few papyrus rolls to its present 
majestic and completed form. In a literary 
sense we will journey through a land of holy 
memory, blessed with the grace of thy friend- 
ly presence, O reader, and for a season live in 
an age when great and glorious things were 
done. It is a beautiful story we have to re- 
late, lisped in thy childhood, and treasured 

9 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



in the hearts of all men from the cradle to the 
grave. Beginning in a manger where the 
cattle and the swine wondered at His coming, 
we shall follow in His footsteps along the 
Jordan and on the shores of the Dead Sea; 
among the hills of Galilee, and down to the 
house of sorrow and death. It will be a story 
of grief, of hope, of gladness, and of despair, 
but ending when the day is born out of dark- 
ness and the clouds have drifted away. We 
shall follow His weary feet to the fields of 
Golgotha, see the Cross and learn of the angel, 
the great stone, and the resurrection. But 
these mighty things are not all which we shall 
see and know. The age was full of wonders. 
It was a time of which the old prophets had 
written and the divine poets had sung, an 
hour clothed in the destiny of time. 

We shall confine our researches to the New 
Testament, leaving, we hope, with due venera- 
tion, the old Covenant to the glory of its 
antiquity, to the memory of its noble achieve- 
ments in the patriarchal age. We will note 
the state of the world, religiously and politi- 
cally, when the New Dispensation came, 
vexed from its cradle with pagan darkness and 
blinding superstition, giving an account, also, 
of the various sects that arose during the first 

10 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



century. We shall relate how the New Testa- 
ment came to be written and the circum- 
stances that attended its early beginning, in 
a land hostile and impatient of its teachings, 
and the constant dangers under which its slow 
circulation was brought about. It will be 
interesting to know how the weary and suffer- 
ing saints endured hunger and poverty and 
death that the world might have the blessings 
which this gift of heaven could bring. 

In the age of which we speak education, 
culture, and the means of writing were con- 
fined to wealth and position, to an aristo- 
cratic and fortunate few. The cost of parch- 
ment and papyrus — small as that may seem 
today — was much beyond the poor, and so they 
found themselves at the mercy of the copyist 
who traveled through Italy, Greece, and 
Palestine. Education among the masses was 
a blessing unknown to the early Christians. 
The young men of a few noted families, 
blessed by birth and fortune, attended the 
Grecian schools, and in a manner moulded the 
thought of the age, but the faith of the Despised 
Nazarene, and the history of His lowly life, 
found no thought or favour in the minds of 
these scions of the court and the crown. They 
had no time to waste in recording the deeds 

11 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



and doctrines of a superstitious and fanatical 
band, a people cursed and reviled by pagan 
philosophers and the learned rabbis of the 
Jews. Hence the circulation of the Gospel 
of Christ, depending upon tradition and oral 
teaching, was attended with many discourag- 
ing trials and gloomy misfortunes. Coming 
to their relief a band of strolling scribes, call- 
ing themselves "Brothers of the Common 
Life," went from door to door, from palace 
to hovel, writing the Gospels and letters of the 
Apostles, which were known, at that time, 
as constituting the sacred writings of the 
Christians. This was during the first and 
second centuries. It was a timely, noble 
work, one which the friendless Christians felt 
to be ordained of heaven to help their poverty 
and to clothe them in an armour of defense. 
These records, Gospels and Letters were 
written on papyrus, a substance made of the 
"paper reed." In ancient times this reed 
was widely cultivated in the Delta of Egypt. 
Tradition weaves a story to the effect that the 
bulrushes, of which the ark for the infant 
Moses was made, were in fact the papyrus 
reed. Parchment was not extensively used 
until the ninth century. It was a revival of 
the use of skins, prepared by a method, or 

12 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



formula, attributed to Eumenes II, King of 
Pergamum, in the year 197, B. C. The cost 
of its preparation prohibited its use among 
the fathers of the Church. 

The struggles and privations under which 
the poor laboured to obtain these papyrus 
manuscripts of the Gospel were pitiful but 
always inspiring. They toiled with ceaseless 
energy, denying themselves the comforts of 
life to obtain for themselves, their children, 
and the generations to follow this absorbing 
and beautiful story of Christ and His disciples. 
The world has never witnessed a more intense 
devotion to faith and duty than these children 
of the Saviour showed in that primitive age. 
Under the falling roof and crumbling chimney, 
where merciless poverty sometimes blighted 
the joys of childhood and the repose of age; 
where sorrows came and hope vanished like 
a dream, these precious writings, breathing 
of heaven and immortality, were often found 
pointing the way to a holier and better life. 
A single Gospel or a letter was sometimes all 
a family could possess. The New Testament, 
as we have it today, was never seen until after 
the fourth century. A letter of Paul, of Peter, 
or John was many times all they possessed. 
After the Gospels were written, from the year 

13 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



64 A. D., a few copies began to circulate, but 
their possession was confined to a favoured 
class, and rarely reached the homes of the 
plebeian element. 

To accomplish the purpose we have in view 
it will be necessary to review the ancient 
manuscripts from which our English Bible 
was translated. We will give, as minutely 
as the facts will allow, a history of the princi- 
pal and generally accepted Codices which are 
considered to be the best. It shall be our 
task to tell by whom these manuscripts were 
written, the place and time of their compo- 
sition, and the circumstances attending their 
beginning and completion. It will be inter- 
esting to know where these Codices may now be 
found, in whose care they repose, and the 
condition they are in today. We will describe 
the text in which they were written, Greek, 
Latin, and Hebrew. Sometimes it was neces- 
sary to rewrite, or reink many manuscripts, 
where the ink — inferior at best — had faded, so 
as to render them almost useless. It cannot 
be successfully claimed that any original, 
strictly speaking, exists today. Time is an 
inexorable and merciless master, and all things 
crumble at the touch of his crushing, iron 
hand. A few manuscripts in their original 

14 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



writing have recently been found, but they 
have been, for nearly two thousand years, 
sleeping in the ruins of Herculaneum, or 
beneath the walls of some old Grecian city, 
long abandoned by the walks of men. The 
Codices which we own today are copies of the 
ancient originals, but eloquent of the care 
with which they have been preserved. They 
are found in old churches, monasteries, and 
in libraries, public and private. Their great 
importance cannot be estimated. They are 
the foundation, yea, the very pillars on which 
our beautiful and divine literature is laid. 
Without them all would be lost, and the sacred 
structure of our Christian faith would crumble 
down. 

Unexampled patience and care were used 
in the preparation and copying of these manu- 
scripts. The ancients, as we are today, were 
exacting and watchful of errors, demanding 
of every scribe an accurate text and a legible 
hand. Charlemagne issued a special decree 
that prevented any one from copying manu- 
scripts who was deficient in learning, or 
wanting in a fair knowledge of Hebrew and 
Greek. This he believed to be a sensible 
ruling, since the writer was dealing in sacred 
things, man's destiny and his duty to God. 

15 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Copying schools were established in Palestine, 
Greece, and in parts of Italy. The work was 
done largely by young men who were schooled 
in clerical work. "Be careful/ ' said Theo- 
dosias to a young copyist, "angels are standing 
at thy side!" 

Many manuscripts, even in that early age, 
were beautiful in design and in artistic finish. 
The unique profession, and the sacredness of 
the matter to be written, appealed alike to the 
mind and soul, and called into action the 
writer's noblest gifts. In 1879 Dr. Gebhardt 
discovered in Rossano, Calabria, a marvelously 
beautiful codex, known as the Rossanensis. 
The text was written on fine purple vellum, 
with gold and silver letters. It contained 
the Gospel of Matthew and part of Mark. A 
full description of this manuscript will be given 
in a future chapter. The Codices Sinaiticus, 
Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, the Ephraemi, and 
the Bezae are wonderful examples of the 
writer's art. The text is written on parch- 
ment and the surface is uniform and smooth. 
The Codex Sinaiticus was written on an 
antelope's skin, and an enthusiastic writer has 
declared it to be "as white as snow." 

We must not be unmindful of the noted 
men who lived and moulded Christian thought 

16 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



in that primitive age. Theirs were lives of 
inspiring devotion to the teachings of the 
Master. The old religion had its prophets; 
the new had its martyrs and its saints. They 
went to battle clothed in the armour of God, 
their swords forged by the hands of justice, 
love, and mercy. Tertullian, Justin Martyr, 
Ireneus, Clement, Polycarp, St. Ignatius, and 
a mighty host of others gave their lives, their 
liberty and their worldly fortunes to the 
Great Cause. Through many a stormy sea 
they guided the ship of faith, shielding it 
from the rocks that treacherously sleep 
beneath the waves. Into the robe of right- 
eousness they wove the strand of purple and 
the thread of gold. "When I read of the 
Saints and Apostles/ ' said Peter the Hermit, 
"I feel like falling on my knees and pouring 
out my thanks to God for their faithful and 
holy lives.' ' 

Paganism, with its wild and weird philoso- 
phies, menaced the early fathers in many ways. 
During the first century the disciples were 
gathered from the common walks of life. 
They were plain, unlettered people; children 
of sorrow and affliction and acquainted with 
the burdens of a lowly life. It seemed 
incredible that a band of these humble 

17 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



dissenters, so far removed from the controlling 
forces of the government and society, should 
set up for themselves a system of faith and 
action so plainly at variance with the prevail- 
ing religion of the age. They were the jest of 
the multitude, the court, and the crown. 
"They are a deadly superstitution," said 
Tacitus, "and their claims unworthy of belief." 
They had nothing to commend them, no 
wealth, learning, nor gift of tongue, but they 
were gentle, long suffering, merciful and kind. 
The destroying angel with dark unfolded 
wings was ever ready to crush and devour. 
With many it was held to be an offense against 
decency and society to become a Christian. 

At this time a school of skeptics and scoffers, 
believing in nothing, jesting at everything 
sacred and spiritual, corrupted the youth of 
the country and gave the thought to the 
impractical dreams of pagan philosophy which 
might have been given to holier things. 
Religion also was in a chaotic and unsettled 
state. The Jewish church was torn asunder 
with internal dissensions. It had introduced 
into its worship the most absurd superstitions, 
hopelessly leading to the grossest corruptions 
concerning the divine nature, invisible powers, 
etc., many of them derived from the time of 

18 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



the Babylonian captivity. The principal sects 
which arose at this time were the Pharisees, 
the Essenes, and the Sadducees. The most 
powerful of these divisions were the Pharisees, 
the most considerable in wealth, influence, 
and number. The Sadducees taught many 
strange and fantastic things. They denied 
the existence of spirits and angels, and with 
shocking boldness declared their disbelief in 
the resurrection of the body and of a future 
state. They were the most violent and cruel 
persecutors of the Christians, their judgments 
never tempered with mercy, and their lust 
for blood never appeased. The Essenes 
were devoted to silence and contemplation, to 
privacy and solitude; but, strangely enough, 
they observed shameful superstitions in their 
religious rites and ceremonies. In addition 
to these unwarranted abuses the Roman 
Empire, drunk with the fruits and love of 
conquest, was extending its imperial domin- 
ions over a vast part of the habitable world. 
It was too powerful to be successfully opposed 
by smaller kingdoms and principalities; hence 
national laws and rights were ruthlessly 
trampled under foot. 

Into this world of conflicting powers, doc- 
trines, and opinions came Christ with His 

19 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



glorious and divinely beautiful Gospel. He 
came with no waving banners, no trumpet 
sounds, no gaudy show of princely crown; 
but softly, gently, as the dawn of a beautiful 
day brings its rosy light from the sombre 
bosom of a cheerless night. Lowly of mein, 
mournful, sad of countenance, He seemed 
wholly out of place in a world steeped in sin 
and vice. His mission was fraught with love 
and peace. He sought the haunts of affliction, 
He loved and blessed the weary and the 
broken in heart. The lame came to Him and 
were made to walk; the blind implored Him 
for mercy, and their long night was turned 
into day. He spoke and the dead came to 
life. The poor raving maniac, with his wild 
and fevered brain, saw his haunted dreams 
charmed into sweet repose. The lashing, 
rolling waves, clothed in the voice of a thou- 
sand thunders, heard Him speak; the winds 
that vexed the troubled sea listened and obeyed. 

Of Him and all His gentle train we now 
propose to write, lifting the veil that obscures 
the written word for him whose feet have 
never walked the ways of sacred or classic 
lore. Difficult may,be the task, but to follow 
where holy men have sanctified the ground 
renders the labour pleasing and doubly sweet. 

20 



CHAPTER II. 



Conditions, Political, Spiritual and 
Educational. 



k O intelligently understand the great dif- 



A Acuities under which the fathers so 
faithfully laboured in assembling and arrang- 
ing the various and vital parts of the New 
Testament it is necessary to know something 
of the conditions political, social and educa- 
tional that prevailed at the time when Christ 
came to challenge the attention of the religious 
world. It will not be out of place to notice, 
also, the great work and foundation which our 
Saviour laid for the guidance of His disciples 
in the New Dispensation. He was the central 
figure around whom all the beauties of the 
New Testament found their birth, the star 
that drew men to its marvelous brightness and 
glory. Hence, to understand His dual nature 
and the wonderful things He did is to under- 
stand more clearly the resistless growth of His 
sublime teachings. 

Four and forty years before the Christian 
dispensation Julius Caesar was assassinated 
in the city of Rome. His countrymen, be- 
coming tired of kings and the consequent 




21 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



abuse of their rights and liberties, had decided 
to throw off the yoke of oppression and live as 
free men. Their long slavery to the crown, 
covering many centuries of cruel but silent 
suffering, had in nowise prepared them to be- 
come rulers of the state. The assassination 
was consequently followed by a stormy and 
restless period. Conditions were serious and 
unsettled. With difficulty men were re- 
strained in their actions, wanting no one and 
no power to arrest their liberties. In this per- 
plexing state they lost sight of religion and 
of all things spiritual. The present hour was 
of greater moment than the kingdoms of eter- 
nity. To Julia, youngest sister of Julius 
Caesar, was born a son of brilliant parts. He 
was born in 63 before Christ. He came of a 
noble and wealthy family in the country of the 
Volsci, and in his youth was adopted by his 
uncle and fell heir to his estate. Cicero was 
his friend and counselor and aided him in his 
conflicts with Marcus Antonius. At length, 
after a stormy career, he was given the 
name of Augustus by the Roman senate 
in the year 27 B. C, and soon found himself 
absolute ruler of Rome. He devoted all of his 
time to healing the wounds and the misfortunes 
of his country. He cultivated a love for the 

22 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



arts and sciences; was himself an author, 
but his literary efforts have not survived. 
It was said that "he found Rome a city of 
brick and left it a city of marble.' ' His 
was the most glorious reign that Rome had 
ever seen. He was respected and loved by his 
people, and they felt secure in their possessions. 
Patterning after schools of Grecian philosophy, 
he caused to be erected in his imperial domin- 
ions various institutions of learning, in which 
the ambitious youths of wealth and patrician 
blood might prepare themselves to better 
serve the state and the crown. Accordingly, 
it is claimed by every patriotic Roman, look- 
ing back to this period of time with pardonable 
pride, that the Augustan reign was the golden 
age of Roman literature. Virgil had just com- 
posed his immortal Eneid. Its classic, flowing 
verse has inspired a patriotic measure in every 
melodious, tuneful soul. It was the crowning 
jewel of the Latin tongue. Horace, too, was 
in his zenith, the clear white light of his classic 
* glory. His satires burned with caustic fire, 
but mirth softened the sting of his lance and 
time has not dimmed the immortality of his 
fame. Ovid, born in the year in which the 
noble Cicero died, lived in the shadows of the 
snowy Apennines, and wrote sweetly of the 

23 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



falling waters and rugged hills that sheltered, 
among the cavernous rocks, the inspiring muse 
of his dreams. Tibulus and Propertius also 
enriched the realm of verse and song, their 
harps attuned to the beauties of pagan thought 
and love for the reigning crown. Livy merits 
undying fame in the brilliant composition of 
his incomparable history. He wrote without 
bias, without favor, without fear. His wide 
research, his great learning, his devotion to 
truth, his flowing narrative style enthrone him 
among the great writers of the world. 

The literature of Hellenism may be dated 
from the Greci-Roman period; that is, from 
the subjugation of Greece. Hitherto Athens 
had been, by common consent, the intellect- 
ual center of the world, but Rome gradually 
and irresistibly came to be the place in 
which the greatest students and philosophers 
were found. The power of writing and cor- 
rectly speaking the Greek language was an 
accomplishment coveted by every Roman 
gentleman of wealth and station. The great 
library, once planned by Julius Caesar, was 
founded at last by his heir and kinsman, 
Augustus. He very wisely divided it into 
two parts, one for Latin writers and one for 
Greek. Tiberius, Vespasian, Domitian and 

24 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Trajan contributed to enlarge the collection 
of art and of manuscript books, so that it 
soon came to be the greatest library known 
to the ancient world. 

Religion was in a chaotic and deplorable 
condition. The learned rabbis, careless and 
self-indulgent, had allowed, with unpardonable 
apathy, the old church to drift away into 
stormy, perilous seas. The Stoics had invaded 
its sanctuaries and frowned upon its most 
cherished tenets. Many new sects were 
springing up in nearly all congregations, 
advocating heresies beyond belief. Weary 
of the old religious systems, made odious by 
abuses of which every God-fearing man should 
feel a pang of shame, men were looking for 
some new religion in which the soul might 
find a haven unbridled by ecclesiastical laws 
and customs which heaven had never ordained. 
Hence they wandered in the unguarded 
realms of pagan philosophy, restless, unset- 
tled, hopeless, and believing nothing. The 
fathers of the Jewish church, like the Roman 
lords of war, were drunk with the wine of 
conquest, not only on the fields of contending 
armies, but in the arts and sciences in which 
every Roman felt a pride. They gloried more 
in the beautiful architecture of their temples 

25 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



and their synagogues than they did in the 
spiritual blessings of their people for whom 
they were supposed to have a vital and 
spiritual interest. Who then can doubt that 
the world was ready and waiting for the 
Great Change of which the old prophets had 
written and the divine poets had sung? 

Into this world of learning, of wealth, of 
lust, of conflicting interests, of hopes and 
opinions, the child Jesus was born. He was, 
by Herod's law, only a poor carpenter's son. 
No gleam of light was there to dispel the 
loathsome shadows that hung with deepening 
gloom about the home of Joseph and Mary. 
To the casual observer He was only a child 
of broken fortunes, wandering about the rocky 
shores of Galilee, subject to the poverty, the 
joys and the sorrows of his lowly, unfortunate 
tribe. He spoke the Aramaic tongue, the 
language most familiar to His native people. 
Of His early intellectual training we possess 
no accurate knowledge. The son of Gamaliel 
is supposed to have taught a school in the 
immediate section where Christ lived, but we 
have no evidence to warrant the belief that 
He was, at any time, a pupil of the young 
teacher. An impenetrable veil covers much 
of the history of His younger life. Heaven 

26 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



has hung a shadow, a great silent cloud, over 
eighteen years which must have been a 
momentous period in the life of the Saviour of 
men. We have no warrant to break the seal 
of this holy silence here, yet we know that 
behind this sombre curtain, in the keeping of 
the Master and the recording angels, many 
things were done holy in the sight of the Lord. 

The bible that Christ read and so often 
quoted was the Old Testament, the ancient 
Covenant of the Jews. If at any time He 
had a thought or intention of writing a new 
covenant for His followers He gave no intima- 
tion, written or oral, of having such a design. 
We will now notice briefly a few facts and 
traditions relative to the Old Testament. 

The translation from Hebrew into Greek, 
which was used during the early advent of 
Christianity, was known as the Septuagint, 
being an abbreviation of the Latin phrase, 
secundum septuaginta interpretes, according to 
the seventy. This is also the subscription of 
Genesis as given in the Codex Vaticanus, now 
in the Vatican library in Rome. It is also 
known as the "Alexandrian Version,' ' and was 
used by Christ in His daily teachings. Of 
its pre-Christian history nothing is very 
definitely known, but we will give here the 

27 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



information we possess, historical, legendary 
and otherwise, which has come to light from 
various sources. We quote now from a 
letter of Aristeas to Philocrates: 

Demetrius of Phalerum, keeper of the Alex- 
andrian Library, proposed to King Ptolemy 
II, about 285 years before Christ, to have a 
Greek translation of the Jewish law made for 
use in the Library. The King readily con- 
sented, and after releasing a vast number of 
captives, which was the custom before entering 
upon any noble enterprise, sent an embassy 
with rich presents to the high priest Eleazer 
at Jerusalem, asking him to send six ancient, 
worthy and learned men from each of the 
twelve tribes to translate the law at Alexan- 
dria. Eleazar readily sent the seventy-two 
men with a precious roll of the law. They 
were honorably received at the court of Alex- 
andria and afterwards conducted to the island 
of Pharos that they might have the blessings 
of peace and quietude, and work wholly 
undisturbed. They were diligent and devoted 
to their task. When, after much labour, 
they had come to an agreement upon any 
section Demetrius wrote down their version. 
When it was completed and given to the high 
priest and the people its position, for a few 

28 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



years, was considered secure. But after a 
lapse of time mutterings of discontent came 
from the side of the Jews, claiming that the 
translation did not wholly agree with the 
Hebrew text established by rabbi Aquiba and 
his school of learned men. Hence there arose 
in the second century the three new transla- 
tions of Aquiba, Symmachus, and Theodosian. 
No manuscript of Aquiba's translation has 
survived. However, fragments of two Codices 
were discovered in 1897 in the Genizah at 
Cairo, Egypt, and which clearly illustrate 
some of the peculiar features of the translation. 
A few Hellenistic writers made use of it, as 
Demetrius, Eupolemus, Aristeas, Ezekiel, and 
Aristobulus, but the preserved fragments are 
very few and in a bad state of preservation. 

For the personal appearance of Christ we 
can only rely upon tradition, as the arts of 
photography at that remote age were wholly 
unknown. The sister of Constantine wrote a 
letter to Eusebius, early in the fourth century, 
requesting if possible an authentic picture of 
Christ. Eusebius could only reply that no 
painting or statue of Christ was known to 
exist. There is extant, however, a description 
of the Master, coming from the fourth century, 
by Publius Lentulus, a contemporary of 

29 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Pilate and proconsul of Judea, in an apochry- 
phal letter to the Roman senate. It may 
be found in the writings of Ansolum of Canter- 
bury, and is as follows: 

"In this time appeared a man who was 
endowed with great power. Men called 
him a great prophet. His own disciples 
called him the Son of God. His name was 
Jesus Christ. He restored the dead to life 
and cured all manner of diseases. This 
man was of noble and well proportioned 
stature, with a face full of kindness, and 
yet of firmness, so that the beholders both 
loved and feared him. His hair was the 
color of wine and golden at the roots; 
straight and without lustre, but from the 
level of the ears curling and glossy, and 
divided down the center after the fashion 
of the Nazarenes. His forehead was even 
and smooth, his face without blemish and 
enhanced by a temperate bloom. His coun- 
tenance was ingenuous and kind. His 
beard was full, and the same color as his 
hair. His eyes were blue and extremely 
brilliant. In reproof and rebuke he was 
formidable; in exhortation and teaching 
gentle and amiable of tongue. None have 
seen him to laugh, but many have seen him 
to weep. His person was tall, his hands 
beautiful and straight. In speech he was 
deliberate and grave, and little given to 
loquacity. In beauty surpassing most men." 

30 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



On the grounds of this description — which 
all Bible students unite in declaring to be 
apochryphal and spurious — we are indebted 
for a vast number of pictures of the Master. 
The Abgar and Veronica legends have also 
contributed their share to the subject of 
Christ in art. The Salvator pictures have the 
expression of calm serenity and dignity with- 
out the familiar marks of grief. The Ecce 
Homo pictures exhibit the sad and suffering 
Saviour with the crown of thorns. Great 
painters have striven to portray the features 
of Christ that we may comprehend and 
understand what manner of man He was. 
Oreagua, Fra Angelica, Perugino, Raphael, 
Leonardo, Tissot and Michael Angelo have 
given to the world their conception of Jesus 
as He appeared to men. What a great 
privilege and blessing it must have been to 
stand in His presence and listen to the music 
of His voice! His was the most beautiful 
character that the world has ever seen. From 
the time when He was a child, wandering 
among the hills of His native country, cradled 
and clothed in the deepest poverty, to the 
moment when the merciless Roman soldier 
thrust his spear into His side there was never 
a breath of calumny to stain His name. The 

31 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



crowning jewels of His life were goodness, 
mercy, and love for all mankind. His holy life, 
a little span of three and thirty years, woven 
in the loom of sorrow and ending in a painful 
death on the cross, challenges our admiration 
and bids us love the divine and walk in the 
ways of holiness. What a noble life He lived, 
how humble and yet how sublime! Standing 
on the wave-beaten shores of the ancient city 
of Capernaum, clothed in the plebeian robes 
of His fathers — by this old city which He 
claimed as His only home and place of abode — 
His great soul, weary of the sin and sorrows 
that rolled by on the chariot wheels of wealth 
and poverty, He stretched forth His hands to 
the wild rushing throng, as if He would 
enfold them in the wings of His love, and 
said, in a voice of pleading emotion: "Come 
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy 
laden, and I will give you rest. Take my 
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek 
and lowly in heart : and ye shall find rest unto 
your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my 
burden is light/ ' How noble! How beauti- 
ful! In all the annals of time, among all 
the nations and tribes of men since the human 
tongue was schooled into speech nothing has 
been uttered so sublime, so humanly great. 

32 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



The highest and best, the most learned of 
men have fallen at the feet of Christ and have 
paid Him homage from the deep of their 
hearts. The philosopher Hegel saw in Him 
the union of the human and the divine. 
Spinoza, the brilliant pupil of rabbi Morteira, 
spoke of Christ as the noblest example of 
heavenly wisdom. The grandeur and the 
simplicity of His life overawed the critical 
Voltaire. "If in the life and death of Socrates, " 
said Rousseau, "we see the sage, in the life 
and death of Jesus we see a God." "When 
I would make a picture of Christ/ 9 said Durer, 
the great painter, "I am almost driven to 
tears by the sorrow and the mournful beauty 
of His face. My brush seems to lose its 
cunning, and I am lost in contemplation of 
things divine.' 9 Banished on a lonely island 
in the sea, where the volcanic fires of the earth 
had thrown up the seething rocks from its 
tortured bosom, Napoleon Bonaparte, bereft 
of his crown and looking into the pale king- 
doms of eternity, said to General Bertrand, 
"Your name and mine will be only a memory, 
a college theme ; but the name of Christ will 
live in the hearts of men for all time." 

Such a man was the founder of our noble 
religion, and of whose eventful life the New 

33 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Testament is a faithful record. He changed 
the prevailing current of all religious thought 
and threw His rainbow of love and mercy 
across the rolling, troubled clouds. He 
blessed the babe in its humble cradle; He 
could rebuke a king on his throne. Before 
His sublime Presence cant and superstition 
crumbled like a falling temple, for He bore a 
message from the throne of heaven; He was 
the voice of the Great King. 



34 



CHAPTER III. 



Modes of Ancient Writing 

T^ROM the earliest ages of which we have 
any authentic or traditional records men 
have sought some method to preserve for 
posterity a faithful account of the thoughts 
and deeds of the ages gone. Irrespective of 
his state and condition, savage, barbarous, or 
civilized, man has ever cherished in his bosom 
the thought of handing down to others an 
account of his having lived, and of his im- 
pressions of life. The love of life is deeply 
implanted in the sacred precincts of our 
natures. Pyramids, mausoleums, and stately 
monuments are eloquent of the care and labour 
which our fathers of antiquity used to acquaint 
and instruct the coming generations of man's 
early days upon the earth. Death, indi- 
vidual or state, is the great horror and monster 
before which we fall and beg for another hour 
of life. To pass out of existence, to cease to 
live, to love, and to dream; to be forgotten 
and our names lisped not again upon the 
tongues of men, this indeed is the king of 
terrors. An old man, white of hair and 
feeble of step, caught in the maelstrom of the 

35 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



French Revolution, fell upon his knees before 
the merciless guillotine and passionately cried, 
"O let me live! Even if I go down into the 
dungeons of hell and commune with the 
demons and the damned, still let me live!" 

It is our purpose now, before entering into 
a history of the books of the New Testament, 
to record a few facts relative to the methods 
employed by early writers, and to whom we 
are indebted for all we have learned of the 
distant past. This, we hope, will illumine 
our way for a better understanding of the 
task before us, and to appreciate the wonder- 
ful achievements of a people to whom the arts 
of composition were so imperfectly known. 
Paleology goes back to the remotest ages of 
time. The methods used were crude and 
primitive, but they are the beacon lights by 
which we see through the years clothed in 
endless shade. We learn of Moses, of Solo- 
mon, of David, and of the great host of godly 
men that glorified the world by their deeds; 
we learn of the rains that cursed the earth 
with a merciless flood; of the sacred family 
that came down from Mount Ararat and 
peopled the world again; of the heroes and 
kings and poets and saints that fought and 
sang and prayed in the thousand of years 

36 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



that sleep in the lap of the ages — of all these 
things we learn from strange inscriptions on 
iron and brass and stone, on wood and bark 
and parchment and clay. Let us pay a tribute 
of devotion to the arduous labours of these 
old "writers," who thus lifted the veil and set 
our feet upon the enchanted plains of old 
Israel. 

In assembling the facts by which we can 
arrive at an intelligent understanding of the 
early writings and inscriptions it is necessary 
to go back to many generations before the 
Christian era. 

The Babylonian inscriptions are singularly 
valuable. They are supposed to have been 
made at the request and during the reign of 
King Khammurabi, and bear clear evidences 
of a system of literary composition that was 
used probably in the days of Abraham. 
Another discovery of importance, recently 
made, reveals a special code of laws for govern- 
ing the people, made and promulgated by 
this same Egyptian King, Khammurabi. 
Rude methods of composition and instru- 
ments of writing were used hundreds of years 
before the time of Moses. The Tel el-Amarna 
tablets, found in 1887, on the site of an 
ancient city in Egypt, have given us a long 

37 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



and precious list of inscriptions which unfolds 
and reveals many interesting conditions of 
that remote and misty age. They record, in 
their primitive and mysterious way, wonder- 
ful and vital events that occurred fifteen hun- 
dred years before Christ. The ancients wrote 
many things on " potsherds/ ' more properly 
speaking, Astraka, a term signifying broken 
pots, pieces of earthenware, or crockery, no 
longer fit to be used. Quantities of this 
inscribed crockery have been found 'in fields 
and in villages along the Nile valley. Some 
have been carefully preserved and may be 
seen today in the museums of Cairo, Berlin 
and London. In 1799 M. Boussard, a French 
officer of engineers, found in the old trenches 
of Fort St. Julien a slab of black basalt, 
bearing a curious inscription which, when 
deciphered, proved to be a key to a proper 
interpretation of Egyptian hieroglyphics. It 
is now known as the Rosetta stone, and in the 
British Museum where it is preserved thou- 
sands have viewed it with increasing interest. 
Upon this slab, in Greek and in hieroglyphics, 
is inscribed a decree of the Egyptian priest- 
hood, which assembled in Memphis two 
hundred years before the Christian era. 
Hence, it was a valuable discovery, and fur- 

38 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



nishes a means by which the long lost tongue 
of the ancient Egyptians was regained. 

In these early ages the leaves and bark of 
trees were sometimes used as a surface upon 
which to write. The Romans and the Egyp- 
tians used linen on which to write their reli- 
gious books or rolls. The Babylonians and 
Assyrians wrote upon slabs of clay, the 
writing carefully inscribed when the clay was 
soft, and then baked to a clean, hard surface. 
Down to the middle ages waxed tablets were 
often used by the Greeks and Romans, the 
matter written with a sharp "pen" or instru- 
ment fashioned out of ivory, bone, or metal. 
Gold, bronze and lead, according to the 
importance of the subject, were used at some 
period by the most civilized and cultured 
nations. Leaden plates have been found in 
ancient graves upon which were recorded the 
virtues and noble deeds of the one who has 
silently turned to dust. 

Coming down to a later time, to the dawn, 
we may say, of the Christian era, we find 
quite a change, a marked improvement in the 
material used in writing. Leather was em- 
ployed as a writing surface by people of wealth, 
and large "libraries" of this material were 
frequently found in the homes of rabbis and 

39 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



in the palaces of titled dignitaries. In the 
Delta of Egypt is a reed known as papyri or 
papyrus. This reed grows also on the banks 
of the Nile, the Jordan, and in the south of 
Italy. It is sometimes made into boats, and 
its fibres used for cordage. It usually grows 
to a height of ten or twelve feet. Commer- 
cially it is a very valuable plant, its bark being 
used in many arts and industries. The pith 
of this papyri is soft and white, and the poor 
of the country in which it grows often use it 
as a food. Its chief value consists in its use 
as a writing material. The pith is extracted 
from the stem and laid in parallel rows. 
Across these rows another layer of the pith is 
placed, after which it is crushed and rolled 
into a beautiful white surface known as 
papyrus. Upon this papyrus many great and 
notable books have been written. Plutarch, 
Lrvy, Josephus, Virgil, and Julius Caesar 
wrote their immortal works on papyrus sheets. 
The Gospels, the letters of Paul and Peter and 
James; the marvelous Revelation of John; 
the writings of Tertullian, Poly carp and 
Origen found their beginnings upon papyrus 
rolls. Many manuscripts of this substance 
have been uncovered in the excavations of 
Pompeii and Herculaneum. Sadly enough 

40 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



they could not be preserved, as the writings 
faded when exposed to the air and light. 

There was known also a substance called 
parchment, or vellum, simply the skins of 
sheep and of goats, tanned and artistically 
dressed, upon which valuable matter was 
chiefly written. The decrees and edicts of the 
court and crown and the rulings of ecclesias- 
tical assemblies were written on parchment, 
as this was more durable and more artistic in 
appearance. By the common people this 
parchment was not extensively used until 
after the ninth century, the cost of its manu- 
facture confining its circulation to the favoured 
few. 

The writings on these rolls of papyrus and 
parchment were recorded on one side of the 
sheet, rarely on both. The reader was sup- 
posed to unroll the sheet and to roll again as 
the reading proceeded. These rolls were in 
common use in all the civilized countries of 
ancient times. They varied in length accord- 
ing to the volume of the matter to be recorded, 
but the average length was twenty-five to thirty 
feet. Instances are on record where some of 
these rolls, containing precious or sacred arti- 
cles, were of great length. In a grave near the 
old city of Ephesus a roll of parchment 140 

41 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



feet long was found, sleeping with the dust of 
the dead. Perhaps some mourning friend, 
deep in the shadows of grief, hoped that the 
silent lines might cheer the loneliness of the 
long, starless night. 

After another cycle of time we see quite a 
change in the size and form of manuscripts. 
Slowly the "roll" was discarded, and the long 
sheets were cut into eight or ten-inch squares, 
and known as codices; a single square was 
called a codex. They now began to take the 
form of books, and had many advantages over 
the old style, both in appearance and con- 
venience. All the old manuscripts, which the 
world possesses today, are in the codex form, 
and will so be referred to in the succeeding 
chapters of this work. 

There were two or three methods or ways of 
writing used by our fathers and professional 
scribes when the Bible was written. The 
first style was known as the uncial, in which 
the letters were large and round in general 
appearance. They gave the manuscript an 
element of dignity and artistic finish, and this 
style was in general use from the second 
century B. C. to the ninth century of the 
Christian era. Writing of this kind is known 
as the bookhand. 

42 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



All, or nearly all, the inscriptions, cut on 
wood and stone, were done in uncial letters, 
and many specimens of this work remain with 
us today. 

Another style of writing was known as the 
minuscule, and consisted of much smaller 
letters, and was employed where the object 
was to economize in papyrus and parchment. 
It did not lend itself to imposing ornamenta- 
tion. 

A third style was known as the cursive, or 
"running hand." This system was used in 
writing "business letters/' deeds and docu- 
ments used in law and in the courts, where 
haste was sometimes necessary, and beauty 
of "hand" wholly needless. The manuscripts 
written in this way are much harder to read 
and translate than any other writings 
employed by the ancients. 

In the primitive ages of the Christian era 
material upon which men recorded their 
thoughts and deeds was sometimes difficult 
to obtain. Invention in the arts and sciences 
did not come to their relief as it comes to us 
today. Papyrus, and especially parchment, 
was very costly, and as a result our fathers 
w^ere compelled to adopt a very rigid economy 
in everything pertaining to literary or legal 

43 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



writing. Many times the written matter on 
parchment was carefully erased and another 
recorded instead. The custom of removing 
writing from the surface of the material on 
which it was inscribed, and then preparing 
that surface for another text, has been 
practiced from very early times. Manu- 
scripts so written were known as palimpsests, 
from the Latin palimpsestus, meaning 
"scraped" or " rubbed.' ' The term is referred 
to by Catallus, Plutarch and Cicero. The 
text written on papyrus could not be erased 
by, scraping or rubbing, as the surface was 
soft and fragile, hence manuscripts of this 
kind were sponged and washed until clean 
enough to receive another text. Another 
method was used to erase the writing from 
parchment. This material was sufficiently 
strong and durable to admit scraping with the 
knife. Sometimes the parchment body was 
softened with milk and meal and then vig- 
orously rubbed until the ink was seemingly 
erased. Ordinarily the ink stains were not 
hard to remove, as the inks used by the ancients 
were chemically inferior and, in a century or 
so, perished beyond relief. Sometimes, before 
the writing had hopelessly faded, a manuscript 
of importance was reinked or practically writ- 

44 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



ten again. This was known as "tracing." 
Many important manuscripts were saved from 
total loss by this timely method. 

The habit of erasing the writing from a roll 
or codex and adding new material came to 
be so common, and so recklessly done, that 
some step had to be taken to arrest the abuse. 
A Greek synod, in the year 691, issued an 
edict that no manuscript of a sacred nature 
should be destroyed, save where the writing 
had perished beyond all efforts to restore it. 
It was charged that the monks and fanatical 
clergymen were destroying many classic manu- 
scripts, works of priceless value, to make 
room for their silly "edicts" and sectarian 
literature. While we are forced to believe 
that this was often done, we should look at it 
in a spirit of charity and be slow to believe 
that the deed emanated from any hostile 
feeling or intent. They doubtless believed 
that they were doing God's service when they 
were destroying "worldly" literature to make 
way for the ''Lord's decrees," as they under- 
stood them. 

In the Vatican library at Rome, Dr. Paul 
Bruns discovered a palimpsest manuscript on 
which the ninety-first chapter of Livy's Roman 
history had formerly been written. An 

45 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 

attempt was also made to destroy the recorded 
orations of Cicero, but by careful tracing and 
re-writing they were virtually restored. It is 
fair to say that some Bible manuscripts have 
been subject to erasure and the text from 
some classic work written on the re-dressed 
vellum instead. 

About thirty old Latin, Greek and Gothic 
palimpsest manuscripts are known to exist, 
the majority being Greek. They belong to the 
fifth and sixth centuries of the Christian era. 
The codex Ephraemi, in the National Library 
of Paris; the Petropolitanus of St. Petersburg; 
the Dubliensis of Trinity College, Dublin; 
the Zacynthus of St. Petersburg; the Patiri- 
ensis of the Vatican in Rome are all palimp- 
sests, and are in a fair state of preservation. 
A palimpsest of the Latin Vulgate is now 
reposing in the Escurial of Spain and contains 
Judges and a part of Numbers. 

As paleography at this time was in a prim- 
itive state the arts of composition were 
unknown among the common people. They 
employed many rude methods to convey 
their thoughts, facts, and opinions. Strangely 
enough they joined their words together, thus 
leaving the reader to separate the matter into 
such sentences as his or her judgment dictated. 

46 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



If the ancient writer wished to record the 
sentence, " Blessed are the dead that die in 
the Lord," it was written in this manner: 

Bless edarethedeadthat 

dieintheLord. 
The sentence which we here give will be 
understood to have been written in Greek or 
in Aramaic, and shows the difficulties attend- 
ing a correct translation of the holy Scriptures. 
The habit of joining the words without a 
break was used by all the sacred writers until 
about the year 650. In the seventh century 
a body of learned men, realizing the need of a 
clearer and better text to understand the 
teachings of the Scriptures, assembled them- 
selves into a kind of scholastic court under the 
name of Massorets — sometimes known as 
Massorah, or Massoreth — signifying and 
meaning Masters of Tradition. Their chief 
concern was to simplify the reading and 
interpretation of the Old Testament, but any 
improvement in the language and grammatical 
construction of the Old Covenant would apply 
also to the understanding of the New. They 
introduced a broader and better system in the 
use of vowel points. In the matter of punctu- 
ation also — without which no sentence can be 
properly understood — they made many valu- 

47 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



able improvements, and by this means elimi- 
nated much confusion which had hitherto 
clouded the meaning of the Old and the New 
Testament. They separated the words and 
sentences, in the copying and translation of 
manuscripts, introducing hyphens or "breath- 
ing spaces" between the words, thus assisting 
the reader and at the same time enhancing the 
classic appearance of the text. In the world 
of letters their labours were productive of 
great good. 

Long and continual use of a manuscript, 
the "roll" or codex, resulted in the parchment 
or papyrus becoming brown, and sometimes 
very dark. Careful as the readers might be 
their rolls or "books" were often rendered 
useless by ceaseless handling, and the pitiless 
corrosion of time. Hence, a new manuscript, 
by some means, must be obtained, as every 
Christian, loving the cause of the Master, felt 
it a duty to have beneath his roof as many 
sacred books as his slender means would allow. 
It is necessary to state here that our fathers 
had no conception of a Bible as we have today. 
The great majority of the saints were very 
poor. They were chained to circumstances 
and conditions that baffled and defied all 
attempts at release. As a people they were 

48 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



persecuted and friendless. In the eyes of the 
crown and the court, and the legions that 
enforced the King's decrees, they were out of 
the pale of mercy and the blessings of justice. 
Only the cheerless mines and the burning 
fields ever knew of their poverty and sorrows. 
But poverty and persecution constitute no 
barrier to righteousness when the heart and 
the will join in an earnest endeavor to do the 
works of God. The worn and fading manu- 
scripts were restored, when it was possible to 
save them, by a chemical wash, or by re-inking 
the lines so as to make the words fairly 
readable again. When restoration was impos- 
sible a new manuscript was written, a finan- 
cial burden many times hard to bear. The 
poorer classes had to be content with one 
roll, or "book." One of the Christians would 
own the Gospel of Matthew, another the 
Gospel of Mark, another the Gospel of Luke. 
Some owned a part and sometimes all of the 
epistles of Paul. The writings of St. John, 
the epistles of Peter and James and the minor 
works of the saints were also in great favour. 
In Christian love and fellowship these books 
were loaned, one to another, and kept in a 
general round of circulation, for there was 
among them all a union of sentiment, of soul 

49 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



and spirit divinely beautiful and inspiring. 

Skeptics have endeavored to weaken the 
faith of the Christian world by the charge 
that an element of uncertainty envelops and 
clouds the history of divine revelation. The 
claim is urged that the Bible, by reason of 
its lost originals, by careless copying, faded 
manuscripts, poverty in punctuation and 
questionable authorship cannot represent the 
will and the teachings of an infallible Being. 
That it survived these defects and distressing 
calamities is all the greater evidence of divine 
guidance and protection. Through the rise 
and fall of kingdoms and principalities; 
through the gloom and appalling night of the 
dark ages; through persecutions, winged with 
the pinions of death, it comes forth like a star 
from the tortured bosom of a storm-driven 
cloud. The millions that read and love it 
represent the noblest and the best of mankind. 
The Koran of the Mohammedans; the Eddas 
of the Scandinavians; the Tripitakas of the 
Buddhists; the Five Kings of the Chinese, and 
the Vedas of the Hindus, are sacred books 
that circulate only among a people whose 
minds are dwarfed and clothed in the dust 
and shadows of piteous superstition. The 
Bible of the Christians has an audience 

50 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



greater and better than these. In the libraries 
of the great spirits that have moved the world 
it is known as the Book of Books. Philoso- 
phers, poets, great jurists; heads of universi- 
ties, astronomers, deep thinkers in all the 
walks of life find it a companion in their 
studies, a pleasing comforter in their sorrows 
and afflictions. What an array of prophets, 
patriarchs and celestial singers we hear speak- 
ing through its pages. Job is one of the 
oldest books known. In its noble antiquity 
it has but one rival, and that is The Book of 
the Dead. It was composed when ancient 
literature was in its swaddling clothes, when 
the dawn was pleading with the starless night. 
Yet no book, in all the annals of literature, 
can approach it in beauty of thought and 
classic diction. That story of devotion and 
sublime patience through loss and sorrow and 
bodily affliction can never be surpassed. 
Thomas Carlyle, a name of which all England 
is justly proud, delivered a lecture to a cul- 
tured audience in London in which he said : 
"I call the book of Job, apart from all 
theories about it, one of the grandest things 
ever written with a pen. A noble Book, 
all men's Book! It is our first and oldest 
statement of the never-ending problem — 
man's destiny, and God's way with him here 

51 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



on earth. Grand in its sincerity, in its 
simplicity; in its epic melody and repose of 
reconcilement. Such living likenesses were 
never since drawn. Sublime sorrow, sub- 
lime reconcilement; oldest choral melody of 
the heart of mankind; so soft and great; 
soft as the summer midnight, as the world 
with its stars and seas." 
We do not know who wrote the book of Job, 
nor when it first appeared among men. 
About it all antiquity has folded its silent 
wings. Yet we know that the beautiful story, 
revered of all men, will go on, and on, and on, 
down to the gates of eternity. 

How inspiring are the Psalms of David ! 
They are the first-born of heaven's beautiful 
melodies. Through it all old Israel seems to 
be singing of her joys, her sorrows, and her 
glories. Softly we hear an oratorio of angels 
praising God for His goodness and His 
boundless mercies. "Not in their divine argu- 
ments alone/ ' said John Milton, "but in the 
very critical art of composition they may be 
made to appear over and above all kinds of 
lyric poesy.' ' 

Athanasius and Luther saw in the Psalms 
of David the epitome of the Bible, Basil and 
Bishop Hall a compend of divine theology. 
Richard Hooker has said, in his Ecclesiastical 

52 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Polity, "Let there be any wound or sickness 
or sorrow or deep distress, there is in this 
treasure-house a present and comfortable 
remedy at all times ready to be found/ 1 

Drifting down with the tide of time we 
find Jesus of Nazareth calling his disciples 
and apostles from the ranks of the common 
people. Many, like Himself, were poor and 
acquainted with grief. They were unedu- 
cated, children of misfortune, with lowly 
surroundings, the sport of evil winds, the jest 
of the merciless and the sinful. Some were 
fishers of the sea, living lonely upon the bosom 
of the waters; rocked by the waves, hearing, 
always listening to the rolling billows mur- 
muring their stories of the great deep. But 
behold, O unfeeling skeptic, what these plebe- 
ian children of faith have wrought! They 
changed the current of the world's history. 
Their lives were pure and gentle, their thoughts 
divine, their speech classic and beautiful. 
The tongue of Cicero and the voice of Jenny 
Lind are stilled forever, but the disciples and 
apostles of Jesus will speak through all the 
ages of time. How then can we account for 
the wonderful power and success of these 
lowly prophets and singers, save that the 

53 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



God of Heaven inspired their deeds and their 
songs. For truth there is no death. 

How vicious, unholy, and yet how pitiful is 
the life of the agnostic. His work is not to 
build, but to destroy. He robs affliction of 
its hope, age of its trusty staff, the cripple of 
his crutch. He enters the house of sorrow 
and, lifting the shroud from the face of the 
dead, says to them that weep, There is no 
resurrection! He would wreck the lifeboat 
that leaves the sinking ship, and laugh to see 
the poor victims crying in the merciless waves. 
He is the vulture, the evil genius and destroy- 
ing angel of mankind ; hoping nothing, believ- 
ing nothing, and dying like the beasts of the 
field. 

The reader may refer to the following works: 
Harris , — ' 4 New Testament Autographs, ' 9 
1882. 

Kenyon's — "Our Bible and the Ancient 
Manuscripts," 1897. 

Si tterly ' s — 1 1 M anuscri pts , ' 9 New York, 
1889. 

Hogarth's — " Authority and Archeology, 
1809. 



54 



CHAPTER IV. 
Beginning of the Gospel Dispensation 

AT 7HEN a Kingdom, a Principality or a 
* * Republic is born into the great family 
of nations the fact is announced and immedi- 
ately heralded to every civilized country in 
the world. The inauguration is attended 
with all the official pomp and ceremony usual 
in the customs and rules of state and crown. 
Wealth and culture and social rank strive to 
illumine the pathway of the infant government 
into conditions where honor and peace and 
plenty may be attained. The dominant race 
and the prevailing religion of its people are 
discussed in the courts and in the forums of 
all nations, small or great. 

How different was the birth, the inaugura- 
tion of the Kingdom of Christ! In a wild 
region known as The Wilderness, a dismal and 
uninviting country lying between the Kidron 
and the Dead Sea, a young man began to 
preach. He was the son of Zacharias, a 
devout and learned priest, and of his wife 
Elizabeth. Had he so desired he could have 
been, like his father, a priest or rabbi, but he 
took the vows of a Nazarite and broke faith 

55 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



with the ancient creed. His education is 
unknown, but he was evidently schooled in 
the prophets, and the religious teaching and 
philosophies of the age. He was retiring in 
his nature, was in many ways an ascetic in his 
habits, denying himself the pleasures and 
even the necessities of life. He haxl something 
of the hermit's love for loneliness and reflec- 
tion. He was eccentric in his dress, his only 
garments being a robe of camel's hair and a 
leathern girdle; his food was locusts and wild 
honey. His mother was akin to Mary, the 
mother of Jesus. He was known as John the 
Baptist. He preached repentance and the 
Kingdom of heaven at hand. He was a 
Voice crying in the Wilderness, warning the 
people that a new Dispensation, the Christ 
of ancient prophecy, was come for their 
spiritual deliverance, and to make ready for 
the great and momentous change. We feel 
that we are safe in the assertion that Christ 
and John, being kinsmen in the flesh, were 
companions in the days of their youth, and 
spent their time in sweet communion of soul 
and spirit, pleasing to heaven and the angels. 
We cannot agree with John Milton who 
says, in "Paradise Regained,' ' that Christ 
had not seen John the Baptist until the day 

56 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



of His baptism. The claim is not supported 
by reason or probability. So let us believe 
that, roaming over the hills of Galilee; in the 
busy streets of Bethlehem and Jerusalem; 
on the shady banks of the Jordan; in the 
forest where the leaf and the vine and the 
fluttering wing live in the light and seclusion 
of nature's God, these children of divinity's 
mould, gentle of nature and noble of thought, 
looked prophetically into the mirror of time 
and saw the Kingdom of heaven marshal its 
mighty army under the banners of peace and 
righteousness. 

The fame and influence of John the Baptist 
extended far and wide. His peculiar habits 
and manner of life, his dress, his love of 
holiness, the flame of his eloquence invaded 
every haunt of sin and vice. The banker 
left his desk, the shepherd his flock, the 
woodman his ax, the plowman his field and 
journeyed to the Wilderness to hear the strange 
prophet of the wilds plead with men to repent 
and believe. Some came to scoff, some to 
listen and to pray, all to wonder and to feel 
the power and the charm of his persuasive, 
plaintive voice. Multitudes came from Jeru- 
salem, from the villages along the Jordan, 
from Hebron, the city of his birth — Pharisees, 

57 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Sadducees, Stoics and philosophers. Josephus 
speaks of John the Baptist as being a man of 
great virtue and nobility of character. He 
mentions him in his history of the war between 
Aretas king of Petra and Herod, and strongly 
commends him to the attention of his Jewish 
brethren. At length, fearing that the appeal- 
ing eloquence of John might move and incite 
his people to revolt — a people who, in view of 
their poverty and their sufferings, were easily 
stirred to defiance and rebellion — Herod cast 
him into the prison of Machaerus, and, to 
please the wish of his cruel and heartless wife, 
put him to death in what is supposed to have 
been the thirty-third year of his life. 

When John baptized Jesus in the river 
Jordan our Saviour was then ready to begin 
His holy ministry which should reach to the 
uttermost parts of the earth. It was a great 
day in the annals of time, the moment to 
which antiquity had pointed, of which the 
prophets had written, and the angels had sung. 
The Kingdom of Heaven was now fully come, 
the Great Ship launched upon the sea of life, 
on the bosom of placid waters where no 
unfriendly winds and waves beat upon the 
verdant shores. In all its appointments how 
holy and divine! Its courts were seats of 

58 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



mercy and justice, its crown upon the brow 
of the Great King ; its schools taught of the 
old patriarchs and fathers, of whom it was 
pleasing and sweet to learn. 

Christ chose his followers, his trusting 
disciples, from the plain people, from the poor, 
the lowly in the common ranks of life. He 
seemed to love them that were schooled in 
affliction. In this do we not see the wisdom 
of God? We are sometimes amazed at the 
number of great spirits that have come from 
the common walks of life, the mighty army 
of men that toil in the plebeian ranks, the 
multitudes whose presence has blessed the 
earth since the Garden of Eden burst into 
bloom. John Bunyan was a poor tinker in 
Bedford, England; Cromwell was a slow, 
plodding, quasi-preacher of St. Ives; Martin 
Luther sang for alms in the cheerless streets 
of Eisenach ; Savonarola was shunned because 
he was poor; Joan of Arc, the beloved daughter 
of France, was an humble home-child, and 
could neither read nor write. Christ's first 
call was to the humble fishers of the sea. They 
left their nets and dutifully came at his bid- 
ding. Their faith was strong. There must 
have been something persuasive, beautiful, 
God-like in the voice that commanded them 

59 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



to forsake all and follow Him. Men lingered 
to listen and to hear the words of the Master. 
He taught in the synagogues, in the temples, 
on mountains, in shady vales, by the old well 
and the singing brook, in the lowly cottage of 
the poor, on the shores of the fretful sea. His 
fame went out through all Syria, in Decapolis, 
in Jerusalem, in Judaea and beyond the 
Jordan. To him they brought all manner of 
sickness to be cured. The lame, the palsied, 
the groping blind; the child afflicted in its 
cradle, the wild maniac in his chains, the leper 
bereft of friends. All these He cured. They 
called Him to the house where the dead lay 
sleeping in solemn stillness; He spoke, and 
death lifted its sullen wings and gave back 
the breath of life and the bloom of youth. 

Daily great multitudes followed Him. His 
disciples grew in number and in knowledge of 
the faith. For a time the ruling rabbis, the 
princely rich, the court and the crown jested, 
laughed at His claims. They charged that 
His converts were the poor, the despised, the 
begging, worthless rabble. No honorable Jew, 
it was said, grounded in the noble faith of his 
fathers, could even entertain the thought of 
joining the fortunes of the fanatical Nazarene. 
He was but an evil wind, a disturbing dream 

60 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



that would soon pass away and be forgotten. 

Christ taught His disciples to be meek and 
lowly, lovable and kind: "Whosoever shall 
compel thee to go with him a mile, go with 
him twain/ ' He taught them to pray for 
their enemies, to do good for evil. He charged 
them to be subject to the higher powers, in all 
things to be obedient to the law. Who then 
could bring a reasonable charge against them? 
"I can find no evil in these Christians/ ' wrote 
Pliny to the emperor Trajan, "no accusation 
to make." They were seeking no temporal 
power, no wealth or position, no earthly 
possession. Their dreams, their aspirations 
were clothed in higher thoughts. Their king- 
dom was not of this world. 

At length, beholding the multitudes that 
followed Jesus, His growing fame, the charm 
of His voice, his daily loving communion with 
them that mourn and are broken in heart, the 
rabbi in his temple, the pagan steeped in his 
philosophy, the crowned ruler on his throne, 
began to be alarmed. What manner of man 
was this that should question the order of our 
worship, the faith of our fathers, old and 
doubly blessed when this young intruder 
came to vex and destroy! Who were the 
rabble, the hordes, the ermine clans that daily 

, 61 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



followed this pretentious, irresponsible Naz- 
arene, himself so poor that no shelter for his 
head defied the wintry winds! It could not 
be. He must be suppressed. 

The Crucifixion and the history of the events 
that led up to that sad and unholy hour are 
foreign to our purpose here. In all the 
countries of the world, in every tongue that 
records the deeds of men, it stands forth 
clothed in sorrow, in mourning, in tears, 
and yet in glory. "No man," said John 
Wesley, "can read of the Crucifixion of Christ 
without a cry of weeping in the deep of his 
heart.' ' The story is known of all men. In 
the seats of the mighty, in the palace of 
boundless wealth, in the shadowy haunts of 
poverty, in the gilded halls of sin and vice, in 
the lonely hunter's camp, in mines of the 
earth, on the ships that defy the driven waves 
it is known and told in measured strains of 
sadness; it is the soul's gloomy, sad, and 
sacred memory. 

When Christ ascended to heaven He left 
His disciples to carry on His great work. 
Many things He said to them were treasured 
in their hearts. Yet when He was gone, 
when they saw Him no more, when His voice, 
in which He had spoken to them in the tongue 

62 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



of angels, was silent and they missed Him in 
the councils of their congregations, they felt 
a sense of loneliness which nothing but His 
great Presence could dispel. They were sur- 
rounded by a people hostile to their cause, 
their teachings, their most sacred tenets. 
The shadow of the cross haunted them like an 
apparition of evil omen. Tiberius frowned 
his cruel anger upon them. They met in 
secluded places, in dungeons, in caves of the 
earth, in the hills, in the silent forest where 
shadows spread their protecting wings. In 
these lonely, unfrequented places they gath- 
ered in little bands, talked lovingly of the 
Master and praised God for His mercies. We 
have said the disciples were heavy with sorrow, 
with boundless grief in their great loss. In 
God's wisdom this, we know, was best. 
Sweet are the uses of adversity. [Misfortunes 
are sometimes the golden wings that lift us to 
higher, nobler things. John Ruskin, the great 
writer and professor of Fine Arts in Oxford 
University, said that he had suffered all his 
life from the lack of hardships, trials, and 
tribulations in his youth. Paul and Judson 
and Obadiah Holmes were tried in the fiery 
furnace of sorrow, pain and disappointments 
of life. When a British Lord heard Jenny 

63 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Lind sing in London he was charmed, as all 
people were, by the great beauty of her voice, 
but said, when writing to a friend: "She 
sang beautifully, almost divinely; yet if some 
great calamity should befall her, some mighty 
grief cloud the light of her soul, how sweetly 
she would then sing." A Russian officer 
called to see Tolstoy, the greatest writer, 
perhaps, of modern times. He found the old 
Count ill and in bed. "I am sorry to disturb 
you," said the officer; "I did not know you 
were sick." "It is all right, my friend," 
replied the Count, "your calling in nowise 
wearies me. / like to be sick. I love affliction. 
I like to weep and to be sad. When I am 
afflicted all that is carnal, all that is earthly 
leaves me, and nothing remains but thoughts 
of heaven and things divine." How beautiful 
and divine, so strange and yet so wise, so 
grand and true. 

So let us believe that it was meet for Christ 
to leave the disciples in the morning of their 
spiritual life. The struggles, the misfortunes 
and the dangers which they would have to 
endure would only make them richer in faith 
and in the hope of a crown of righteousness to 
come. Slowly but irresistibly they grew. 
Kindred, friends and fortune, all earthly 

64 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



pleasures born of the days of their childhood 
had taken flight upon the sombre wings of the 
night and gone. They could only look through 
a glass darkly, but in the end they should 
see Him face to face. 

Sometimes hope comes to the desolate when 
the nights are darkest and the hours are 
heavy with the fruits of despair. In a shady 
bower by the Cherith brook the ravens fed 
Elijah, their wings inspired to seek the 
flowery glen. On a stormy night, loud with 
its thunders and its threatening winds, we 
have seen a star burst from the troubled 
clouds to light the traveler on his darksome 
way. 

In the fertile plains of Cilicia, in the city of 
Tarsus, a young man lived. He was born in 
the early days of the Christian era, and was 
a youth of many gifts and of brilliant promise. 
His parents were devoted followers of the 
Hebrew religion. Modern historians claim 
that he was a Hellenist, and that he spoke the 
language of the Palestinian and Assyrian 
Jews, the Aramaic tongue. He declared him- 
self to be a a Hebrew of the Hebrews. " That 
he ever saw Christ in the flesh is not positively 
known. He was a Pharisee, having descended 
from a line of Pharisaic ancestors, and 

65 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



boasted that he belonged to the straightest 
order of the sect. He was known in his 
younger years by the name of Saul. His 
father doubtless gave him this name after the 
first king of Israel, as the family belonged to 
the tribe of Benjamin. As a Roman and a 
missionary to the Gentiles he went by the 
name of Paul. To Gamaliel the elder, the 
grandson of Hillel, he went to school in 
Jerusalem, and was unusually brilliant in 
every part of his studies. He appears to 
have aged early in life, being in some manner 
afflicted from his youth. He never married. 
He is said to have been uncomely in appear- 
ance, and excited the curiosity of many people. 
The Jews taught their children some specia 
trade with which to start in life; hence we 
find that he was a weaver or maker of tents. 
In Christian literature he may have read the 
"Logia," which was known as the "Sayings of 
Christ/ ' but we are not sure. He was active 
in the persecution of the Christians; was 
present at the stoning of Stephen, which 
haunted his memory in the coming fruitful 
years of his life. With love of the traditions 
and the religion of his fathers his soul was 
aflame. He could see no wrong in the perse- 
cution of a sect that came to cripple and to 

66 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



arrest the old institutions which, from his 
cradle, he had been taught to regard as sacred 
and divine; a people he believed to be of un- 
holy design and mean of birth. Hence, 
clothed with special power and authority, he 
started to Damascus to apprehend and bind 
the helpless Christians and bring them to 
Jerusalem for trial by their enemies. Nearing 
the ancient city, and glorying in his mission, 
he saw a great light burst from the heavens 
and shine around him like the rays of a thou- 
sand suns. As he stood bewildered, wondering, 
blinded by the bright, celestial rays, a voice, 
heavenly and sweet in its accents, cried: 
"Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" He 
fell to the earth, broken in his strength. The 
anger, the evil, died in his bosom and he lay 
like a babe fresh from the hands of God, not 
one that had inflicted pain and suffering upon 
his innocent fellowmen. He had seen no 
man, but, regaining his composure for a 
moment, he asked: "Who art thou, Lord?" 
"I am Jesus of Nazareth whom thou perse- 
cutest. Arise and go into the city, and it 
shall be told thee what thou must do." To 
the Christians that voice would not have been 
strange. It was the same voice that spoke to 
Lazarus in the grave; the voice to which the 
winds and the waves listened and obeyed; 

67 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



the voice that said to His wondering disciples, 
"It is I; be not afraid." 

Broken in spirit, blind and helpless, Paul was 
led down to Damascus and they who minis- 
tered unto him heard him utter an earnest, 
fervent prayer to heaven for his soul's relief. 
A great, momentous change was there! It 
was like a mighty oak that had fought its 
battles with a thousand storms now fallen 
down into a sylvan bower of leaf and bloom; 
like an eagle screaming its daring strength 
from some wild and rocky height had been 
transformed into a harmless dove, soft of 
wing and sweet of song. 

The saints that were in Damascus were still 
afraid. They did not know at first that a 
voice from heaven had shielded them from 
suffering and great distress. They viewed 
their fallen foe as the hunter views the 
wounded lion, as the wolf lies in wait for the 
unprotected lamb. 

But Saul was harmless now. Evil and 
desire of merciless affliction, with all their 
wicked train, had vanished from his bosom as 
darkness flees from the rosy dawn. Out of 
an hour of hopeless despair, out of the deep- 
ening twilight of a slowly departing day a star 
had been born that should henceforth light 
the weary pilgrim's pathway to righteousness 
and to God. 

68 



CHAPTER V. 



Paul and the Beginning of the 
New Testament 



ONCERNING the time of Paul's conver- 



sion there have been different opinions 
among critical Bible students for many years. 
All agree that an element of uncertainty 
clouds all attempts to arrive at any conclusion 
fortified by unassailable facts or traditions. 
We can only give the opinions and calculations 
of some of the ripest scholars who have ear- 
nestly sought to clarify the question to the 
satisfaction of the Christian world. 

Professor Ramsay, a learned Churchman of 
Aberdeen, Scotland, feels reasonably sure, after 
a careful investigation, that the conversion 
took place in A. D. 33; Archbishop Ussher 
places the time at A. D. 35; Harnack claims 
that the conversion occurred at an earlier 
time, probably in the year 31 ; Lightfoot comes 
to the conclusion that the year 34 or 35 was 
the time to which the greatest evidences seem 
to point. 

This discrepancy of opinion is born of the 
poverty of our information regarding the 
chronologies of the early ages. The chrono- 




69 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



logical systems used by our fathers were very 
faulty, and in many ways misleading. The 
earliest written annals of the Greeks, Etrus- 
cans, and Romans were irretrievably lost. 
The traditions and legends of the Druids, we 
regret to say, perished with them. Many of 
the kings and emperors of ancient times, un- 
mindful of the wants of coming generations, 
were singularly careless relative to the history 
of their respective countries. It is said that 
a Chinese emperor, in the year 220 B. C, 
burned all the books known to exist in his 
kingdom, and a Spanish "nobleman" took 
special pleasure in destroying the picture 
records found in the pueblo of the Montezu- 
mas. However, in addition to the early 
Greek writings we have forty books that treat 
of chronology. Fifteen of these seem to be 
almost entire. They are supposed to have 
been compiled by Diodorus Siculus in the 
years immediately preceding the Christian 
era. In form and in general convenience they 
are very well done, and throw much light on 
the principal events of that remote age. We 
have also the Pentabiblos of Julius Africanus, 
written in the year 220, A. D., and the 
Chronicon in A. D. 325, by Eusebius Pamphili, 
bishop of Cesarea, and distinguished as the 

70 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



first book purely chronological. There were 
also the Chronographia by Georgicus Syncel- 
lus, and that of Johannes Malalus, both, we 
believe, compiled some time during the eighth 
century. Dionysius of the sixth century, a 
learned Cythian and Roman abbot of much 
notoriety, compiled a chronology which ranks 
as being probably the best of its kind. In 
1650 Archbishop Ussher published his 
"Annates Veteris et Novi Testamenti," con- 
sidered by many to be a work of singular 
merit. 

We can readily see how a multitude of 
chronological systems may produce an endless 
confusion in the minds of students, who 
earnestly seek to be set right concerning the 
exact times when the world's great events 
took place. The effort to find a perfect rule, 
fortified by reason and facts, seems to be 
wholly fruitless. Can we not console our 
want of knowledge by the pleasing thought 
that, at some time during the fruitful years 
which we have just mentioned, the greatest 
event in all the annals of Christendom, save 
that of the advent of Christ, found its birth 
outside the gates of the old city of Damascus ! 
The teeming pages of history, sacred and pro- 
fane, contain nothing to question or contradict 

71 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



the recorded facts of that momentous hour. 
Revelation and inspiration join in beautiful 
and sacred harmony in all the events leading 
up to Paul's miraculous conversion, and the 
Christian world, on bended knees, thanks God 
for the voice and the light that illumined the 
pathway of the ages. 

After Paul again received his sight, and was 
clothed in his strength, he remained for a 
little season in Damascus, the guest of the 
hunted, persecuted saints. It was a strange 
situation. The poor, helpless, and despised 
followers of Jesus were now the good angels 
that ministered to his needs. To him it was 
all a revelation, yea, a spiritual revolution. 
Scorn and anger and merciless hate ceased to 
fret his soul. He was a new creature, fresh 
from the hand of God. A new life, a beautiful 
highway that leads to the Celestial City in- 
vited his feet to follow where angels had made 
it a holy ground. But he was now restless, he 
knew not what to do. He was in the midst 
of friends, but the enemy was waiting without. 
With patience and mercy they would not hear 
him; they would laugh at his story, and scold 
him for deserting the faith of 'his ancient fathers. 

The Apostle tells us that after remaining a 
few days in Damascus he went to Arabia. 

72 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



/ 



Many writers have been studious to know 
why Paul went away on this seemingly fruitless 
journey. Arabia was a land of dreams, woven 
in the loom of mystery, isolated, weird, defy- 
ing criticism, serene and contented. It could 
boast of its poets and its philosophers; it had 
its schools of learning, it could point to its 
old patriarchs and its men of God; was seem- 
ingly staid and immovable in its manner of 
spiritual worship. The reasons that caused 
the Apostle to go to Arabia are not difficult 
to find. He would get away from his kins- 
men, his associates in the persecution of his 
innocent countrymen. All around him, in 
Damascus, in Jerusalem, in Palestina, in 
Tarsus, the city of his birth, were scenes of 
strife and the merciless persecutions in which 
his hands had taken part. The lands so 
familiar to his wanderings when a boy were 
now clothed in memories that pierced his 
heart. Piteously the blood of the saints cried 
to heaven, their pleadings for mercy still 
haunted the winds, haunted him whose feet 
had been swift to blight the harvest which 
their tears had made. "I am afraid to think 
on what I've done," cried the guilty Macbeth. 
"Can all great Neptune's ocean wash this 
blood from my hands !" Again, it is pleasing 

73 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



to believe that Paul went to Arabia to seek, 
somewhere, a little kingdom of quietude and 
rest; to set himself adrift from the teachings 
and impressions of his youth, to muse and to 
pray. He would go where nature's sweet 
whispers teach the deep things of God. Five 
and thirty years of his life were already gone, 
the work that lay before him was great, the 
shades of the night were drawing nigh. He 
would commune with the Master to under- 
stand, to know his duty in the new life to 
which he had been so miraculously called; to 
school his voice to trill the beautiful melodies 
of heaven, to train his wings for lofty flights, 
to ascend to altitudes of glory of which his 
soul had never learned. It is sometimes good 
to be joyfully lifted above the common things 
of life. We feel nearer to God when we weave 
our garments in heaven's loom; when we 
build our castles on the everlasting hills and 
peacefully look down upon the lingering, fad- 
ing twilight of a dying day. "When I listen 
to your wonderful melodies/ ' said an old 
mother to Mozart, "I am sweetly enchanted; 
I am wafted away to the land of beautiful 
dreams; my worn and weary feet walk upon 
the clouds." 

We have the testimony of Paul himself 

74 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



that he stayed in Arabia three years. He 
then felt himself to be equipped to fight the 
battles of the Lord; to die, if need be, in 
defense of the Great Cause. Leaving Arabia 
he returned to Damascus at once. Doubtless 
the old city, a poem in the annals of antiquity, 
clothed him in dear and sacred memories. 
There the marvelous light had shone around 
him; there the voice called and awoke him 
from the curse of his evil dream; there, blind 
and helpless, he had uttered his first prayer 
to Jesus of Nazareth whom, henceforth to the 
hour of his martyrdom, he should faithfully 
and joyfully serve. 

Paul began his ministry at once. In the 
synagogues of Damascus he boldly preached 
Christ and the New Dispensation at hand. 
The saints, scourged and beaten as they had 
been in the past, wondered at his zeal and 
fearlessness. Doubtless they warned him of 
his danger, but the great Apostle felt that he 
should fear nothing, since the God of heaven 
was his strength, and old David had said, 
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." 
The Jews and all that heard him were amazed. 
They remembered him as the merciless and 
relentless enemy of the Christians, and were 
slow to understand a change so sudden and 

75 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



far-reaching in its results. The rabbis were 
displeased, and could not be brought to 
tolerate a condition having for its object the 
destruction of their ancient religion. Hence 
they demanded that the synagogues be closed 
against him, and that no favours should be 
shown him. There began his first persecution. 
He never knew, after this time, a moment's 
peace, save in the contemplation of the prom- 
ise of the Crown of Righteousness which he 
would find in heaven. The Jews at length, 
perceiving that persuasion was fruitless, took 
counsel to kill him, guarding the gates of the 
city to prevent his escape. But who art 
thou, O man, that would seek to baffle the 
will of God ! The battle is to the strong save 
when the weak is blessed by the arm of the 
Lord, and the angel that rolled away the 
stone from the Saviour's tomb found a way 
to smite the gates of Damascus in twain. 
Hence, Paul made his escape, and experienced 
no harm. 

Anxious to be about his Master's cause the 
Apostle hurried to Jerusalem, where he met 
Barnabas, Peter, and James. The saints in 
Jerusalem were afraid of him. They remem- 
bered him as their relentless enemy in whose 
heart no mercy or pity could be found for them, 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



or for the cause they loved. They shuddered 
at his presence. They did not know that the 
storm-cloud, with its roaring tempest, had 
been turned into the gentle murmurings of a 
summer breeze; they did not know that the 
devouring vulture had fallen, helpless and 
broken- winged, to the earth. But Barnabas 
of sacred memory, the Levite of the Isle of 
Cyprus, who sold all of his property and laid 
his wealth at the feet of the apostles, heard 
from Paul the inspiring story of his wonderful 
conversion, his sojourn in Arabia, and his 
flight from Damascus. It was, as we know, 
a beautiful story of his transition from dark- 
ness to light, a story that will hold all the ages 
in its grasp, with none to doubt. Eagerly, 
trustingly they laid their arms about him, 
welcoming him to the sanctuaries of their 
holy family, and Paul became one of the 
Immortals of whom it is pleasing to learn. 

In harmony with his nature and his zeal 
for Christ Paul began at once to preach in 
Jerusalem. His soul was aflame with the 
divine beauties of the Christian faith. Re- 
gardless of danger he must boldly challenge 
to combat the tigers of evil. He disputed 
with the Grecians; he compared their rules 
and philosophies of life with the unsearchable 

77 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



riches of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Defeated 
in the argument, humiliated, angered, the 
Grecians endeavored to kill him. Again he 
was saved by flight. The Christians sent him 
down by Cesarea, and thence to Tarsus, the 
city of his birth. 

"Tarsus was no mean city." Strabo, the 
noted writer, historian and philosopher, has 
somewhere said that "Tarsus surpassed all 
other cities in the fame of its universities, 
even surpassing Athens and Alexandria in 
the study of philosophy and educational 
literature." "In Tarsus/ ' says Lightfoot, 
"you breathe the atmosphere of culture, re- 
finement, and learning/ ' Situated in a wide 
plain, with the hill-country behind, where the 
snow-covered Taurus throws its silvery light 
among the waves of the rolling Cadmus, it 
was a city in which every Hebrew, born in 
the purple, might rejoice to live. To Paul it 
was a city alive with joyous memories. When 
a youth he had gone to Jerusalem and sat at 
the feet of Rabban Gamaliel, a renowned 
teacher, philosopher, and member of the 
Sanhedrim Court. Returning to Tarsus he 
was admitted to her sanctuaries, her holy-of- 
holies, a favoured child of the Hellenist and 
the rabbinical circles. For him the river of 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



life flowed beautifully among verdant hills 
and flowering plains. In his boyish dreams 
he builded stately mansions in which his soul 
might find repose. Prophetically he saw him- 
self clothed in rabbinical robes, loved and 
honored by his people ; yea, a kind of succeed- 
ing story and continued volume of the old 
patriarchs and fathers of his tribe. How 
vastly different now! The golden castles of 
his dreams had fallen down. He was a new 
creature enlisted in a new cause, a special 
ambassador of a new kingdom whose founder 
was the despised and crucified Christ. 

Paul preached in the courts and synagogues 
of Tarsus as he had done in Damascus and in 
Jerusalem. It is not recorded that he met 
with any special persecution there. It is 
reasonable to believe that he now used the 
arts of argument and persuasion, reciting the 
simple story of Jesus and His message, and 
was slow to arouse the anger of the multitude. 
It is sometimes claimed that Paul stayed in 
Tarsus five years. We are not favoured with 
any account or special history of his success 
there, or of the future results that came from 
his preaching. 

At length Barnabas, noble, saintly Barna- 
bas, came to Tarsus in quest of Paul. Distant 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



fields, populous cities, hearing of the New 
Dispensation were anxious to learn of Jesus, 
His beautiful ministry and death on the cross. 
Paul was now clothed with marvelous power 
as a minister of Christ. He was a reasoner, 
a divine philosopher, a man of persuasive 
eloquence, earnest and tireless in all the 
details of his great work. With Silas and 
Barnabas he began his first missionary jour- 
ney. They spent a year in Antioch, where 
great numbers believed and were led to Christ. 
Leaving Antioch Paul and Silas started on a 
tour of Asia Minor, preaching in temples, in 
synagogues, on mountains and highways, in 
every place where men would congregate and 
listen to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Lystra 
Paul met Timothy, and there began that 
beautiful union of love, of soul, and spirit 
unparalleled in the history of sacred literature. 

It is not our intention here to follow Paul in 
his far-reaching and eventful journeys. To 
do so would violate the original design of 
this work. Many volumes have been written 
descriptive of the great Apostle's travels, and 
which may be obtained in literary centers 
where sacred books are sold. We elect to 
give a pen-picture of Paul, the preacher, 
writer, and man of God, so that the student 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



may have a clear conception of the author of 
the beautiful epistles that bear his name. We 
shall content ourselves with a history of the 
times, the places, and the events that led to 
the writing of his various letters, constituting 
a literature second to nothing in all the ages 
of time. Let it be remembered that we are 
grouping the facts that brought about the 
composition and the building, the literary and 
divine structure, of the New Testament. 

Go with us now on a pilgrimage to the city 
of Thessalonica. The year is 49-52 of the 
Christian era. Claudius is emperor of Rome. 
The city of London, founded by Plautinus, is 
four years old; Josephus, the Jewish historian, 
is playing in the streets of Jerusalem, a care- 
free boy of fourteen years. Tiberius, under 
whom Christ was crucified, has just passed 
away; Caligula, a cruel and imbecile Roman 
emperor, has been murdered by a band of 
conspirators. Thessalonica is an old city, a 
seaport town on a gulf of the iEgean Sea. 
It was old when Christ was born, a city when 
Hannibal crossed the Alps. According to 
Strabo it was named after the wife of Cassan- 
der, daughter of Philip of Macedon. Through 
its corporate limits runs the great Ignatian 
road, connecting Thrace and Illyria. It is 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



the seat of the provincial governor under the 
Roman dominions, and Cyclopean and Hel- 
lenic arches adorn and enhance the beauty of 
its architecture. It is very cosmopolitan, 
having a mixed population of Jews, Greeks, 
and Romans, harmonizing in social and busi- 
ness relations, but divided religiously as their 
creeds demand. 

Paul is now in Thessalonica preaching the 
resurrection and the gospel of Jesus Christ. 
With his great subject he is alive, earnest, 
and eloquent. The glow, the freshness and 
fire of his earlier days are manifest in his 
efforts. He is nearing the close of his second 
missionary journey, having led thousands to 
Christ by a devotion and zeal unequaled in 
the annals of Christendom. Surely the golden 
shuttle in the loom of righteousness is never 
weary of its busy rounds. Silas and Timothy 
are with Paul, that the grace of their presence 
may lend strength and glory to the Cause, 
and to be, at all times, near him in his hour 
of need. We learn that the synagogues, in 
which the great Apostle preached when he 
first entered the city, have been closed against 
him, for he has been fearlessly storming the 
citadels of pagan philosophy and Jewish 
thought, converting many to the religion of 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



the gentle Nazarene. Alarmed at his bold- 
ness and marvelous success, the rabbis and 
leading Hebrews of the city implore him to 
desist. They beg him to remember the faith 
of his mother, and of the old patriarchs of 
holy memory. They charge that he is a 
traitor to the glorious traditions of the fathers, 
and where persuasion is powerless to silence 
his tongue they are not slow to threaten 
bodily harm. But Paul cannot change his 
course. Ask the morning, with its gold and 
crimson dawn, to fall back into the deep of 
the dismal night; ask the blooming fields to 
die with the desert's parching sun; ask the 
nightingale to hush the beautiful melody of 
its evening song. The voice that called him 
on Damascus road had awakened him to a 
new life; no power or influence of men can 
now wean or drive him from the love of the 
Master. 

Hebrews of wealth and influence have been 
persuaded to join the Christians. Aristar- 
chus, Secundus, Caius, and Jason have re- 
nounced the Jewish faith and cast their 
fortunes with the followers of the Nazarene. 
Women of social standing, leaders of their 
sex in Thessalonica, are seen to mingle and 
worship with the adherents of the new religion. 

83 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



These things raise a storm of indignation 
among the rabbis, and they seize every oppor- 
tunity to arrest the further growth of Chris- 
tianity in the city. A mob is formed, a mob 
composed of the worthless, the low, and 
irresponsible, and parade the streets of the 
city, breathing threatenings of death against 
all that call on the name of Jesus. Jason is 
publicly whipped for no cause save that he is 
a Christian. A reign of terror sweeps through 
the town. The Christians conceal themselves 
from the angry mob until the voice of mercy 
and reason can be heard. When the shades 
of night protect them they congregate in 
some secluded place, in some old house of 
broken fortunes or home of the poor, where 
they are shielded from the scoffing gaze of the 
wicked and unfeeling multitude. They are 
formed into a little church with the blessings 
of Paul and his faithful assistants. Their 
meetings are a haven for the sorrowful, the 
afflicted, and the friendless. To them the 
star of hope, so long obscured, shines brightly 
again, and, delighted, they listen to the story 
of Him who at last shall clothe them in rai- 
ments of celestial glory. 

Thinking it best to allay the anger of his 
enemies and to bring the blessings of peace 

84 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



to the Christians, Paul, with Silas and Timo- 
thy, repaired to Beroea, a little town in 
Macedonia. It was a quiet, restful city, its 
people kind and gentle of nature; a little 
kingdom remote from the arteries of trade 
and traffic; a place where the Old Scriptures 
were read and the people wondered when the 
Christ should come. They opened the doors 
of their synagogue and Paul preached to them 
Jesus and His kingdom of glory, love, and 
mercy. They received his message kindly, 
and many joined the New Faith. For many 
days all went w r ell. The people came in great 
numbers and sat at the feet of the wonderful 
Apostle, eager to hear of the time when the 
gentle Nazarene came and lived and was 
crucified. But in a little while the muddy 
billows of another persecution came and 
swept the blooming fields before the harvest 
could be gathered. It came from Thessa- 
lonica, from the lair of the wicked, the heathen 
mob that laughed at reason and knew^ no 
mercy. The rabble came and stirred up 
strife, claiming that the Christians were 
endeavoring to erect a temporal kingdom in 
opposition to that of their beloved Claudius. 
Paul was now accustomed to all manner of 
sorrows and persecutions. It was the divine 

85 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



decree that he should experience great suffer- 
ings for Christ. This was but another count- 
less ripple in the tide of time that rolls and 
breaks on the rocky shore, ending at last in 
the ocean of eternity. 

Leaving Silas and Timothy in Beroea, Paul 
was sent to Athens by night. Whether he 
went by land or by sea students are divided 
in opinion. The separation, the parting from 
his friends and assistants, was a sad affliction. 
For him who has shared our sorrows and 
dangers we ever hold a sacred recollection. 
Sweet are the ties that bind us together when 
the last hope of life seems to be hovered by 
the wings of death. 

Athens was the center of Greek culture, 
and is now the capital of the kingdom of 
Greece. It was largely peopled by idlers and 
philosophers, pretending to be oracles of wis- 
dom for the balance of the world. It gloried 
in its great antiquity, claiming to have been 
a city 1500 years before Christ was born. 
The seat of learning, the home of great orators, 
having schools and universities to which all 
ambitious young men came to fit themselves 
for the court and the crown, what could a 
poor follower of Jesus hope to accomplish 
there, a man homeless and alone, scorned and 

86 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



beaten with stripes by his own race, buffeted 
and hunted like a criminal! But Paul was 
undaunted. The Lord was his comforter and 
his strength. In wandering over the city he 
found an altar dedicated and inscribed, TO 
THE UNKNOWN GOD. 

Philastratus speaks of these altars in the 
plural and Pausanias states that several might 
be found in Athens and in other parts of 
Greece. The inscription in the singular is 
found only in Acts. 

There is in every human breast, from the 
philosopher in his study, the prince in his 
palace, the savage in his cave, a cry for the 
True God, the great Being before whose 
throne man can kneel and pour out his cup 
of sorrow, of whom we can beg for strength 
and light in our dismal night of woe. Athens, 
with all her learning, her universities and 
schools of art, with the wisdom of the ages 
behind her, could not fathom the mystery of 
God and eternity. Hence "Paul stood in 
the midst of Mars' hill" and preached to 
these vain Athenians the God that made the 
heavens and the earth, and in whom we live 
and move and have our being. It was a 
great address. Perhaps nowhere else does 
Paul's versatility and breadth of view, his 

87 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



profound conception of the universal character 
of the gospel message show so clearly and 
beautifully as in this sermon. 

In a little while Silas and Timothy, fresh 
from their labours in Beroea, joined Paul in 
Athens. They did not attempt to further 
interrupt the placid and conceited dignity of 
these self-taught pagan philosophers. In all 
things they had nothing more than a carnal 
and intellectual interest, and could see noth- 
ing in the religion of Jesus to arrest their 
attention. Paul was anxious to hear from the 
church in Thessalonica. In his heart of 
hearts he loved them greatly. They were the 
children of his spiritual life, for whom he had 
seen much sorrow and suffering; they were 
ever in his memory, his prayers, and in his 
dreams. And so he found no rest until he 
prevailed on Timothy to return to Thessa- 
lonica and ascertain the condition, worldly 
and spiritual, of the church which they had 
organized there. On his return he should 
meet Paul and Silas in Corinth, probably the 
last point on their second missionary journey. 

Timothy was probably gone two or three 
months ; for the caravans that crossed old 
Israel's plains and stony mountains were slow 
and sometimes much delayed. Nevertheless, 

88 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



when he returned from his joyous pilgrimage 
he brought a glowing and pleasing account of 
the saints in Thessalonica. He found them 
growing in grace and in number of converts. 
For them the star of hope was brightly gleam- 
ing. Hovering around them were the wings 
of angels, and unseen hands were leading 
them by the still waters. Sweet and glorious 
was this news to Paul. He was rejoiced to 
know that his labours had been fruitful of 
much good, and that another sanctuary had 
been established and an influence created that 
should reach down through the ages to the 
gates of eternity. Denied the pleasure of 
seeing them again he felt in his bosom a 
burning desire to write them a letter, and tell 
them of the great comfort which the news of 
their unbroken faith and righteousness had 
given him. With Timothy then as his aman- 
uensis — for Paul did not often write with his 
own hand — he wrote a letter to the church at 
Thessalonica. It was an inspiring and beauti- 
ful letter, full of joy and hope and love; a 
fatherly, instructive, and noble epistle, ad- 
monishing them to be steadfast and continuous 
in well doing, and to walk worthy of the new 
and holy life which they had so wisely chosen. 
Thus began, according to the best light and 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



the deepest research among the archives of 
biblical facts, the New Testament of Jesus 
Christ. What sacred scenes, holy visions, and 
consecrated dreams that name awakens into 
life! We see the wise men of the east, the 
desert, the patient camels, and the guiding 
star; we behold the Child, the manger, and 
the wondering shepherds ; we hear, somewhere 
in the fields of Bethlehem, a choir of angels 
singing and the rustle of unfolding wings. 
In a wilderness by the Jordan a voice is crying 
that The Kingdom of Heaven is At Hand. 
By the grave we stand and see the dead arise 
again to the joys of life; we walk in the garden 
of Gethsemane and hear a prayer, piteous and 
immortal. We see the Cross, the crown of 
thorns and the mantle that shrouds the light 
of day; we behold the ascension of Him who 
slept, and see the gates of heaven swing wide 
for the King of Glory to come in. What a 
marvelous, wonderful book! A fountain in 
the desert of affliction, eyes to the blind, a 
staff to the lame. It softens the pillow of 
death, it is the haven and refuge of the 
wounded and broken heart, the guide to 
youth, a solace and comfort in the winter of 
age. 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



In the superscription to the Codex Alex- 
andrinus, containing the manuscript of this 
epistle, now in the British Museum of London, 
it is stated that it was written in Athens. 
However, by careful research much evidence 
has been found to establish the claim that it 
was originally composed and sent from Corinth 
in A. D. 53. Copies and fragments of this 
manuscript may be found in the following 
codices : 

Codex Sinaiticus, St. Petersburg, Russia, 
Codex Vaticanus, Vatican Library, Rome, 
Codex Claromontanus, National Library, 
Paris, 

Codex Sangermanensis, St. Petersburg, 
Russia, 

Codex Angiensis, Trinity College, Cam- 
bridge, 

Codex Alexandrinus, British Museum, 
London, 

Laura Monastery, Mount Athos, Turkey, 
Synodal Library, Moscow, Russia, 
Library of St. Mark, Venice, Italy. 
The student may consult the following works: 

Ramsay's "St. Paul the Traveller and 
Roman Citizen/ ' 

Weizacker's "Apostolic Age," London, 1894, 

Orello Cone's "St. Paul the Man," 1893, 

Broadus' Bible Commentaries, 

Canon Farrar's "Life and Work of St. 
Paul," New York, 1902. 

91 



CHAPTER VI. 
Second Thessalonians — Corinthians 

/""^ORINTH, sometimes corrupted into the 
name Gortho — was originally known as 
Ephyre. It is a city of great antiquity, and 
known, we believe, in the days of Homer. Its 
original inhabitants were probably lonians. 
In many respects it was the most important 
commercial city of Greece. Situated on the 
great central route between Rome and the East, 
it commanded an extensive trade with Ephe- 
sus, Thessalonica, and other cities. It was the 
capital of the Roman province in that geo- 
graphical section, the center of government, 
commerce, of political life, and progressive 
development. While Athens was the intel- 
lectual and educational center of Greece — the 
seat of the world's greatest university at that 
time — Corinth also had its schools in which 
were taught the arts and sciences — insofar as 
they were known at that time — and every new 
thought and important discovery radiated 
from this point over the entire province of 
Achaia. The country, and especially the 
city, were subjected to many changes, social 
as well as political. In the year 146 B. C. it 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



was conquered by the Romans, and its help- 
less inhabitants maltreated and sold as slaves. 

In Corinth Paul and Timothy and Silas had 
come together again after their relentless and 
merciless persecution in Thessalonica. They 
doubtless wished to survey the situation care- 
fully, to avoid danger and bodily harm, and 
to labour again in a field where the greatest 
good could be accomplished. Without any 
means of support Paul worked at his trade as 
a tent maker. As a rule many of his converts 
were poor, and certainly not financially able 
to bear any expense, save that which was 
necessary for their own comfort and existence. 
The great apostle was ever studious to avoid 
the charge of being, at any time, burdensome 
to the saints. Many times he took up collec- 
tions for churches that were poor. He often 
suffered for bodily comforts, was poorly clad, 
and felt the pangs of hunger to feed those that 
could not feed themselves. When Scipio 
Africanus came to die he said to those who 
gathered around him: "I die with the satis- 
faction of believing that no word or deed of 
mine will ever cause any of my countrymen 
to blush/ ' Paul was likewise careful that 
his conduct should not give offense to his 
converts, his co-workers in the faith, and 

93 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



whom he passionately loved. He suffered all 
manner of persecution and affliction that 
they might enjoy the hopes and blessings and 
comforts of the gospel, at last meeting death 
with the courage of a divine philosopher. 

In many ways Paul heard of the pleasing 
reception accorded his letter to the Thessalo- 
nians. In accordance with his expressed desire 
the letter was read aloud to all the congrega- 
tions when the Christians were assembled for 
divine worship. Various copies of it were 
made and circulated among the people, for it 
came from the greatest preacher and apostle 
ever known ; but probably they never had the 
remotest thought that it was the beginning of 
a book which was destined to be honored, 
loved, and reverenced by millions then unborn. 

To correct some impressions which this 
letter had unwittingly created, Paul conceived 
the idea of writing another epistle to the 
saints at Thessalonica. This letter, written 
very soon after the first, is the shortest, save 
the letter to Philemon, of all the Pauline 
writings. The epistle, while it differed greatly 
from the first, expressed great love and 
affection for his young converts in Christ. It 
was apparent, from all the evidence that Paul 
could gather, that they did not thoroughly 

94 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



understand his teachings relative to the second 
coming of Christ and the resurrection of the 
dead. These were important questions, and 
could, in no wise, be suffered to remain 
misunderstood. From his preaching while 
among them, and now from his letter which 
he sent from Athens, the disciples had by 
some means fallen into error, and believed 
that the time of the Saviour's second advent 
was near, and really at hand. Since the 
apostle had left them some of the Christians 
had died, and all were deep in grief, sorrowing 
in the thought that the dead could not witness 
the glorious moment of Christ's coming when 
He should gather them into His celestial 
kingdom. 

It appears that the saints of that primitive 
age, irrespective of the country in which they 
lived, expected the Saviour to appear at any 
moment. The thought, we know, was inspir- 
ing as a holy dream. To be possessed of the 
feeling that the coming of Christ was at hand, 
when they should see Him face to face; when 
He should lift them out of the tribulations and 
sorrows and persecutions of the world; to 
conquer death with all its chain of terrors, and 
to be borne away on the snowy wings of angels 
to a beautiful home eternal, caused them to 

95 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



rejoice without ceasing. So strong was this 
alluring and pleasing dream that it dominated 
their habits and modes of living. Many were 
careless and indolent, believing that all things 
earthly would soon pass away, and that all 
exertions to obtain a store of crowns or the 
comforts of life were wholly needless. Senti- 
ments and feelings of this kind served admir- 
ably to keep them poor and consequently 
helpless. Hence, Paul lost no opportunity to 
combat this very dangerous and vital mistake, 
to exhort them to be frugal, industrious, and 
to improve for righteousness the hour which 
God in His mercy had given them. This 
second letter, it may be observed, was not so 
emotional as the first. While it was not 
harsh or "scolding," it was wanting in the 
gentleness and the tenderness of the former 
epistle, more in the nature of a command, and 
in an appeal to the sober sense of the saints to 
which it was addressed, than in the elements 
of glory and persuasion. 

It is evident from a careful reading of this 
second epistle that the church at Thessalonica 
had, by some means, received a letter, sup- 
posedly sent to them by Paul, which was 
clearly an imposition and a forgery. It will 
be observed that he cautions them to be 

96 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



careful in such matters. He would have 
them to clearly understand that his name, in 
his strong and impressive hand, would be 
attached to every communication sent to 
them by himself. This brings us to state 
that many letters were written and circulated 
at that time, and many years afterward, that 
were questionable as to authorship and to the 
orthodox soundness of the matter which they 
contained. Many men, gifted in the arts of 
composition, found ceaseless pleasure in the- 
orizing and philosophizing on the religion of 
Christ. Moreover they courted inspiration, 
and claimed divine guidance in all they wrote. 
When our fathers met in solemn council to 
select from the religious literature of the age 
the various gospels and epistles — which we 
today unquestionably accept as the sacred 
teachings of the Master — they found a great 
quantity of literature claiming to have been 
especially inspired and which the various au- 
thors pressed upon the attention of the sacred 
court. There were spurious "collections" of 
Paul's epistles, many letters being foreign to 
the great apostle's manner of writing. A col- 
lection was made as early as the reign of the 
emperor Trajan. This "canon," it is claimed, 
had many excellent features which have been 

97 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



rightfully commended. Another, known as 
the Latin collection, was used as late as the 
seventh century. Much of this "edition" is 
believed to have been unworthy of serious 
consideration, and centuries ago it ceased to 
exist altogether. 

We cannot refrain from saying that Paul's 
letters to the Thessalonians were purely 
letters of Christian love and fellowship, joyful, 
heart-warming, and in all things affectionate. 
There is in them an absence of "doctrine" and 
straight-line "preaching." Many Bible stu- 
dents have expressed the conviction that he 
had no thought at this time of composing an 
infallible guide to Christian conduct, nor the 
remotest dream of a New Testament, as we 
possess today. He loved them. He had 
shared their dangers, their persecutions and 
their sorrows, and the memory of these tribu- 
lations was ever with him as a witness of their 
love and unwavering devotion to Christ, 
The gospels — the books of Mark, of Matthew, 
of Luke and John — were not composed at this 
time. It is remotely probable that the Logia 
may have existed in some form, but we have 
no reliable evidence to support the claim. 
Dr. William Sanday, Lady Margaret professor 
of Divinity in Oxford University and chaplain 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



in ordinary to His Majesty the King, joins the 
ranks of notable writers and scholars in the 
declaration that no writer or preacher of this 
primitive age entertained the least thought of 
composing a New Covenant. 

After remaining a short time in Corinth 
Paul decided to go to Macedonia to finish his 
labours in that field, and return to Corinth 
at a later time. However, by a vision and 
a direct command from heaven he was told to 
return to Corinth at once. He felt himself, 
at all times, to be in communion with the 
Master, to be guided by the Divine Will, and 
in no sense to be slothful and disobedient. He 
canceled, therefore, all his plans and returned 
to Corinth, where, the vision had declared, 
"I have much people/ 9 Again, among Bible 
students, some discrepancy exists relative to 
the time of Paul's return. Harnack believes 
that he returned to Corinth in the year 48; 
Turner says it was in 50; Ramsay the year 51 ; 
Lightfoot 52, and Archbishop Ussher gives the 
time as A. D. 54. The dates given by the 
first four writers are impossible of belief. To 
accept them would be to destroy the generally 
conceded fact that Paul's Thessalonian letters 
were written in 53. 

Paul's preaching in Corinth began in the 

99 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



house of Titus Justus. In the meantime he 
was residing with Aquila and Priscilla. In a 
few months — for he remained in Corinth 
probably a year — he was allowed to teach in 
some of the Jewish synagogues and temples. 
His audience and Christian converts grew 
too large for a private residence. Silas and 
Timothy were with the great apostle, render- 
ing much valuable assistance. In ascertain- 
ing facts and conditions relative to the growth 
and spiritual state of the infant churches, 
they were wonderfully efficient and helpful. 
Their noble efforts and Christian bearing 
added mightily to the marvelous success of 
Paul's ministry. In the history of Christi- 
anity, recording the lights and shadows that 
illumined and darkened the dawn of our 
sacred religion, they stand in the clear and 
beautiful light of the glory of our devoted 
fathers. 

In the city of Corinth Paul preached with 
his usual power. Clothed in the spirit of 
Christ, and in the love of his fellow men, he 
drew the multitudes to him as a magnet draws 
the atoms around it. Men came to hear him, 
listened, went their ways, and wondering, 
came again. In the old city there was a com- 
motion, a silent upheaval in the thoughts of 

100 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



men. In the forum, in the busy streets, in 
the marts of trade, in the mansion and the 
cottage, there was an earnest and solemn 
question: "What think ye of Christ?' ' The 
rabbis, while they offered no resistance, were 
astonished and amazed at Paul's convincing 
arguments. The influence of his preaching 
was reflected in the daily walks and habits of 
thinking, inquiring men. It is recorded that 
an old Grecian, sitting silent and pensive at 
the foot of the Athena statue, was interrupted 
by a traveller who sought the way to the 
beautiful temple of Aphrodite. "Nay, nay," 
said the old Grecian, "I cannot tell thee how 
to find the temple thou seekest, but O, restless 
wanderer! All roads now lead to Christ. 
Seek ye Him and His beautiful Kingdom/ ' 

In his labours at Corinth Paul was assisted 
by another great spirit, known as Apollos. 
He was an Alexandrian Jew, and said to have 
been ' 'mighty in the Scriptures.' ' The name 
is doubtless a contraction of the Jewish name 
Apollonius, and may be found in the manu- 
script known and catalogued as the Claro- 
montanus, now preserved in the National 
Library of Paris. He preached in the syna- 
gogues with marvelous force, but knew only 
"the baptism of John." Aquila and Pris- 

101 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



cilia, hearing his early efforts, gladly instructed 
him in the gospel of Christ and he rapidly 
came to be one of the great lights of the 
Christian world. He was in Ephesus during 
Paul's absence in Jerusalem, but we have no 
intelligent account of his ministry there. It 
is believed that he came to Corinth at the 
earnest solicitation of Paul himself, as a great 
opportunity seemed to be there for the build- 
ing and the glory of the kingdom of Christ. 
He was a man of profound learning, earnest, 
magnetic and eloquent. He seemed to possess 
the gifts of an orator, the sober thought of a 
philosopher, and the diction of a poet. It was 
said that "On the wings of his inspired thoughts 
he caught the listening multitudes and bore 
them away to the land of celestial dreams." 
His polished discourses were very different 
from the sermons of the older apostle, and in 
a little while a division arose in the Corinthian 
church relative to their ability as ministers of 
the gospel. Some, being ungrateful and for- 
getting the zealous and earnest efforts of Paul, 
forgetting how he had nursed and schooled 
them in the ways and precepts of the Master, 
and blessed them with his boundless love and 
continual prayers, turned, in a spirit of hero- 
worship, to the praise and laudation of Apollos. 

102 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



How readily we abandon the old and embrace 
the new! "How soon," said the weeping 
Paoli to the ungrateful Corsicans, "how soon 
you forget my labours and my love." We 
sometimes smile in derision at an old house of 
broken fortunes, piteous in its crumbling eaves 
and falling chimneys, remembering not that 
in the distant past it sheltered youth and age 
from many a wintry storm. Along the stage 
of life we often hear the enchanting voice of 
a beautiful singer as it warbles and rises and 
falls in the realms of harmony, forgetting that 
the sweetest song we've ever heard is a 
mother's lullaby to her babe as it falls down, 
down a precipice of roses into the arms of a 
peaceful sleep. And so the critics claimed 
that Paul was wanting in the gifts of oratory, 
in literary style, and in forensic grace. They 
cruelly compared his native afflictions and de- 
formity to the manly bearing and facial beauty 
of Apollos. The situation, we can readily 
believe, was painful in the extreme. Apollos, 
perceiving all this, and feeling the embarrass- 
ment born of a condition so deeply deplored, 
stole away to the city of Ephesus. Paul 
graciously implored him to return, but he 
steadfastly refused, thus clearly showing the 
noble magnanimity of the one and the 
prudence of the other. 

103 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



As a result of these wonderful efforts a 
flourishing church was organized and built up 
in Corinth. Quite a number of Jews, some 
of social and commercial standing in the city, 
cast their hopes and fortunes with the new 
order of faith and worship. Teachers, evan- 
gelists, and all necessary officers were 
appointed to carry on the work so happily 
begun. Persecution for the time had ceased, 
and thus, under the special guidance of heaven, 
the little bark was set adrift upon the stormy 
sea of religious strife to battle with the waves 
that roll and break upon its treacherous rocks. 

When Paul finished his labours at Corinth 
he went direct to Ephesus, beginning perhaps 
his third missionary journey. There he met 
his friend and fellow labourer in the Lord's 
vineyard, Apollos. The division in the church 
at Corinth had in no wise estranged or 
weakened their Christian love and personal 
friendship, and not until death clothed them 
in immortality did this pleasing and sweet 
affection cease to mark them as heaven's 
anointed. It is claimed that Paul stayed in 
Ephesus for a period of tw r o years. During 
this time he received news — probably by the 
visitation of Silas and Timothy — that things 
were not going w^ell in the church at Corinth. 

104 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Some of its members had drifted astray, 
endeavoring to harmonize the religion of Jesus 
with the curious speculations of pagan thought 
and philosophy. Among them were party 
and personal divisions, threatening the peace 
and union of the communicants of the con- 
gregation. Sorrowfully enough, licentiousness 
and immorality retarded its growth and 
influence at home and abroad ; there was much 
anger, and personal bitterness many times 
culminated in suits at law among those who 
professed meekness and brotherly love. Some 
were unrestrained in their personal conduct, 
and with appalling freedom brought shame 
and reproach upon the holy Cause which they 
professed to love. These things grieved Paul, 
and his great soul was deeply moved. He 
could not understand how the new converts, 
for whose glory and salvation he had laboured 
and spent many an anxious hour, whose 
spiritual welfare had been the daily comfort 
of his sorrows and afflictions, could so soon 
wander from the path of rectitude and right- 
eousness. 

Immediately after receiving this surprising 
information, he resolved to write his Corinth- 
ian brethren a letter of protest against the 
evils that were said to exist among them. 

105 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



This letter is known among Bible students as 
"the painful epistle.' ' Ages gone this letter 
has ceased to exist. We only know, from 
Paul's references to it in other of his writings, 
that it was a scathing denunciation of the 
Corinthian church for allowing such wanton 
wickedness to go unpunished. It is believed 
that other letters — some from the elders of the 
church to Paul, and his answers back to them 
— existed at this period of time. We can only 
surmise and regret. O time, what precious 
things are hidden beneath the sullen shadows 
of thy wings ! By all the arts we know we try 
to persuade thy sleeping years to reveal to 
us the treasures that repose in the voiceless, 
endless stillness of thy long night! 

In the year 57, A. D., Paul wrote, according 
to the most reliable information which we 
now possess, what is known in sacred history 
as First Corinthians. The epistle was written 
from Ephesus. The subscribed note, stating 
that it was written from Philippi, seems to 
have been an error. It was evidently written 
some time before Pentecost, probably in the 
spring of 57, and his second epistle in the 
autumn. The bearer of the first letter may 
have been Timothy, again it may have been 
carried by the Corinthian messengers who had 

106 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



brought a letter to Paul. The epistle is most 
beautifully written. Noble and divine in 
thought, in classic mold and charming expres- 
sion it surpasses everything native to the 
country and the age. He deplored the 
Hellenic tendency to philosophic speculation, 
factious partisanship, self indulgence, immor- 
ality, and strife. "In its fullness of light and 
shadow," says Professor Robertson of King's 
College, London, "it vividly reproduces the 
life of a Gentile-Christian community, seeth- 
ing with the beginnings of that age-long 
warfare of the highest and the lowest in man, 
which constitutes the history of the church of 
Christ from the time His fire was kindled on 
the earth down to the present time." 

In a few months after Paul's first letter to 
the Corinthians he went to Troas. There he 
expected to meet Titus and to learn from him 
the state of the church in Corinth, and of the 
effects which his letter had produced. Failing 
to find him there he crossed over to Macedonia 
and met him at some point in that country. 
The news which he received from Titus pleased 
him greatly. Evidently his letter had been 
received in the spirit in which it was intended, 
and there was then born in his heart a strong 
desire to write to them again. If, in his first 

107 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



epistle, he had planted a thorn in any bosom, 
wounding some gentle and inoffensive soul, 
he would soften the sting and restore the 
peace which love alone can give. This second 
letter was sent from Philippi. As we have 
elsewhere stated, it was composed in the 
autumn of 57. As he generally wrote with 
the assistance of an amanuensis he now 
employed the help of Titus and Lucas. It 
will be noticed that the letter is addressed not 
only to the church in Corinth but to the 
churches also in the province of Achaia, and 
this included Athens, Argos, Megara, Patrea, 
Sicyon, and others. Again, in harmony with 
his noble gifts, it was a classic and beautiful 
letter. Irony, pathos and remonstrance are 
so wonderfully and artistically blended they 
challenge our admiration and defy comparison. 
Now he writes like a master, asserting his 
power and authority as an apostle of Christ; 
now he is a shepherd that loves and dreams 
of his flock; now the thundering storm-cloud 
at whose mighty voice the mountains tremble ; 
now the gentle breeze and the morning dew 
that laves the petals of the rose. "What an 
admirable epistle," says George Herbert, "is 
the second letter to the Corinthians! How 
full of affection! The apostle joys and he is 

108 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



sorry; he grieves and he glories; never was 
there such a care of a flock expressed, save by 
the Great Shepherd of the fold, who first shed 
tears over Jerusalem and afterwards his 
blood." 

The student may consult: 

Mackintosh's — " Westminster New Testa- 
ment," London, 1908, 

R. D. Shaw's — "Pauline Epistles," London, 
1908, 

G. H. Randall's— " Epistles of Paul to the 
Corinthians," London, 1909, 

T. S. Evans'— "The Speaker's Bible," New 
York, 1881. 



109 



CHAPTER VII. 



Romans — Galatians 



ALATIA, sometimes called Gallo-Grsecia 



VJ in ancient geography, is an inland division 
of Asia Minor, bounded on the north by 
Bithynia and Paphlagonia, on the east by 
Pontus, south by Cappadocia, and west by 
Phrygia. The whole region is an elevated 
plateau or table-land, 2,000, and in some 
places, 3,000 feet above the sea. The country 
took its name from a body of Gauls who 
invaded Asia Minor about 277 B.C. Several 
tribes of people inhabited different parts of 
Galatia, and many dialects were spoken among 
them during the early centuries. However, 
the various tongues became Hellenized in 
time, and Greek came to be the language 
most in use. The people, consisting largely 
of Greeks, Romans, and Jews, were in a 
measure pagan of birth and held to old 
theories, superstitions, and ceremonials. 
What induced Paul to go among them we 
have no way of knowing. Nevertheless, we 
find that, after the council of Jerusalem, in 
about the year 52 A. D., Paul and Silas, while 
on their second missionary journey, made a 




110 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



hurried visit to Galatia. The journey, from 
the meager information we can gather, did 
not consume over six months of time. There 
were no large cities in Galatia. In the north- 
ern section Tavium, the capital of Trocmi, 
which soon fell into ruins; Aneyra, the capital 
of Tectosages, and Pessinus, were all the 
cities of any importance. In the southern 
section were Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Derbe, 
and Lystra. We may therefore reasonably 
conclude that St. Paul, contrary to his custom 
of preaching in large cities, made a tour of 
villages and populous country districts as well 
as the larger towns. 

We have no way of ascertaining the number 
of churches that were organized in Galatia at 
this time. Accurate information relative to 
the apostle's tour in that country is exceed- 
ingly difficult to obtain. It is at least reason- 
able to suppose that they were quite limited 
in number, since it was a hurried visit and 
consumed, as we have stated, considerably 
less than a year's time. 

During this first call Paul seems to have 
been a great sufferer, probably from his old 
afflictions. However, Professor Ramsay has 
worked out another theory. He claims that 
Paul caught a fever w^hile preaching in Perga, 

111 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



and in order to obtain the benefits of a higher 
altitude, went to Antioch where he lay for 
some time in great illness and distress. This 
may have been true, but others declare that 
the affliction complained of may have had its 
origin in the stoning he received at Lystra. 
It was after this stoning, which must have 
left some painful and visible marks upon him, 
that he preached in Derbe, Iconium, and 
Antioch. 

Before writing his epistle to the Galatians 
the apostle visited the churches there at least 
twice. He may have found some tendency 
to apostatize cropping out among them. 
They seem to have been a changeable and 
unstable people. Julius Caesar, in his Com- 
mentaries on the Gallic Wars, bears testi- 
mony to the wavering and vacillating nature, 
political and social, that seemed to characterize 
the Galatian inhabitants. They could not 
bear restraint. They were quick to embrace 
new theories, but ready to abandon them 
when they so desired. 

At the end of six years from the time of 
which we write, we find Paul again in Corinth. 
It has been claimed by Bible scholars of note 
that the letter to the Galatians was written 
in Antioch, and by others that it came from 

112 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Ephesus or Macedonia. The evidence seems 
to favor the contention that Corinth was the 
place, and the time A. D. 58. The apostle 
wrote this epistle because of his intense 
anxiety. For some time he had been receiv- 
ing painful news concerning the churches in 
Galatia. They seemed to have a tendency 
to depart from his teachings, and to go back 
to their ancient faith and bondage of the law. 
They had also, in spite of the fact that they 
had formerly received him with open hearts 
and open minds, a growing desire to question 
his authority as an apostle and his seemingly 
assumed right to advise them to disregard and 
abandon the law and the traditions of their 
fathers. They did not forget to accuse him 
also of displaying a dictatorial spirit in his 
ministerial associations with them. It was 
therefore clearly evident to Paul's mind that 
someone was exercising an evil influence over 
them, and which in time might destroy all 
the fruits of his labours in that field. Hence, 
he doubtless saw that he could do nothing 
better than to write them the remarkable 
letter which we now have under consideration. 
Paul wrote this epistle with his own hand and 
not by an amanuensis. Tradition claims that 
it was written in an exceedingly masculine 

113 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



manner, with large, bold letters which the 
various copyists have endeavored to imitate. 
It is the only letter of the entire thirteen, we 
believe, that does not open with a Christian 
salutation and special praise. In this one he 
goes straight to his subject, his opening sen- 
tence being, "I marvel," I wonder. He makes 
known to them his great astonishment and 
surprise at their reported waywardness and 
desire to wander after strange doctrines, con- 
trary to the teachings of Christ, and of which 
they had so recently and so abundantly heard. 
It is a fine argumentative and logical letter, 
clear and illuminating in its statements of 
facts and principles, yet with a feeling of 
sorrow running through it all. "There is 
nothing in ancient or in modern language/ 9 
says Professor Sabatier, "to be compared to 
Paul's letter to the Galatians. All the powers 
of his soul shine forth in its pages. Broad 
and luminous view, keen logic, biting irony; 
everything that is most forcible in argument; 
vehement in indignation, ardent and tender 
in affection are found here, combined and 
poured forth in a single stream, and forming 
a work of irresistible power.' 1 "It really 
seemed/ ' said Bishop Moorhouse in com- 
menting on Paul's reasons for writing the 

114 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



epistle, "It really seemed as if the mighty 
enthusiasm of Pentecost might sink into re- 
spectable legalism; as if Christianity might 
be strangled in its cradle by the iron hand of 
the law; as if it might sink into an obscure 
Jewish sect and disappear in the national 
ruin, instead of breaking its fetters and spread- 
ing its mighty spiritual pinions and claiming 
the universal heaven as its home." 

To attempt an exegesis of the Galatian letter, 
an interpretation of Paul's masterful reason- 
ing, would be a violation and transgression of 
our original plan and intention. For a better 
understanding — in fact, for an exhaustive 
review of this excellent and delightful epis- 
tle, we refer the reader to " Ramsay's Church 
of The Roman Empire"; to "Paul The 
Traveller", and to "The Expositor's Greek 
Testament." Consult also Dr. Sanday in 
"Ellicott's Commentary," London, 1879. 
"Lightfoot's Exegesis, 11th edition, 1892, and 
Sardinoux's Commentaries," Valence, 1837. 

Excellent copies of the original manuscript, 
as it came from Paul's hand on a sheet of 
papyrus, may be found in many parts of 
Europe, but those seeming to have the great- 
est claim to authenticity, and which are now 
in the best state of preservation, are as follows: 

115 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Codex N. Sinaiticus, now in St. Peters- 
burg, 

Codex A. Alexandrinus, now in British 
Museum, 

Codex B 2. Vaticanus, No. 1209, now in 
Rome, 

Codex D 2. Claromontanus, now in Libra- 
ry of Paris, 

Codex E 3. Sangermanensis, now in St. 
Petersburg, 

Codex K 2. Mosquensis, now in Moscow, 
Russia, 

Codex S 2. Laurea, Laura Monastary, Mt. 
Athos. 

ROMANS. 

We do not know who founded the early 
Christian church in Rome. The ever deepen- 
ing shades of antiquity, the slowly folding 
wings of time have silently clothed it in a 
darkness where we grope for light, helpless 
and in vain. Doubtless it was one of heaven's 
first-born. Here tradition and imagination 
may go on unbridled to the voiceless land of 
dreams, where enchantment is lost in wonder 
and the weird light fades into sullen shadows 
again. We can only surmise. From the 
field of Golgotha the saints, sad and heavy of 
heart, wandered hopelessly, many of them 
having no continual city in which to abide. 

116 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



The world around them was unfriendly to 
their cause, their hope in Christ. They were 
scorned, despised traitors to the religion of 
their fathers, a prey to persecution and relent- 
less hate. It was a terrible ordeal. Caligula, 
the emperor of Rome, though claiming the 
blood of Augustus was, nevertheless, like his 
successors Claudius and Nero, cruel and 
impatient with the followers of Christ and to 
whose disputed claims it w^as believed the 
Crucifixion would put a final end. It is 
sometimes assumed that St. Peter was the 
original founder of the little church in the 
shadow of the Eternal City, but evidence is 
not lacking to prove that he was engaged with 
the saints in Jerusalem at that time. Hence, 
we can believe that after the death of the 
Saviour little bands of worshipers found 
strength and comfort in assembling together 
in that quite and harmless way that made 
them different from all others. We can there- 
fore assume that after the Resurrection, when 
faith and hope grew strong in their bosoms, 
a few devoted lovers of the Master came to- 
gether in Rome. They were gentle, soft and 
low of speech, for the great enemy was near. 
In some lonely and low r ly temple, where they 
hoped to meet with the spirit of Christ and 

117 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



commune with the departed saints, they 
gathered together when night came down with 
its broad, protecting wings. " Where two or 
three are gathered together in my name there 
am I in the midst of them." These were 
consoling words. There were no records, no 
written accounts of Christ and His disciples 
at this time. The story of His birth, His 
life, and of His crucifixion was handed down, 
orally, to them that wished to hear. How 
thrilling, how divine and blessed it must have 
been to sit at the feet of him who had been 
with Christ and heard Him speak; who stood 
upon the shore and saw Him walk upon the 
waves of the sea; who saw Him give sight to 
the blind and raise the dead; who saw Him 
on the cross, heard the quaking earth give 
voice to its thunders, and the sleeping saints 
come forth from their graves. Thus we may 
say the little church in the Imperial City 
began to grow. Men came and listened, pur- 
sued their pilgrimage, thought deeply, and 
returned again. The knitted brow of the 
king on his throne could not arrest the flame 
which the fires of heaven had kindled, and 
"the faith of the church at Rome was spoken 
of throughout the whole world." 

It is questionable if Paul was ever in Rome, 

118 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



save when he was there in prison. A veil of 
mystery hangs about it, and the apostle him- 
self is silent and fails to mention any time 
when he saw the saints there face to face. 
Nevertheless, the learned Tertullian speaks of 
Peter and Paul as having " poured into that 
church all their doctrine along with their 
blood/ 9 The church did not suffer for want 
of ministerial help. From Judea, Asia Minor 
and Greece fearless men came and preached 
the Gospel of Christ in Rome, sometimes in 
the synagogues and in the temples, but never- 
theless mindful of the fact that they stood 
upon a volcano of death and destruction. 

In A. D. 58 Paul was resting in the city of 
Corinth. He was staying at the house of 
Gaius, who resided then in that city. With 
him were Timothy, Sosipater, and Erastus. 
He remained the special guest of his friend 
for a period of three months, having returned 
from Jerusalem where he had carried an ample 
collection to the poor saints, the gift of the 
churches of Achaia and Macedonia. For a 
long time he had cherished a thought of going 
to Spain, and while on this journey to go also 
to Rome. For some cause, inexplicable and 
wholly unknown, he abandoned this intended 
visit, and various reasons have been given 

119 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



for this reversal of an intention so carefully 
planned. Weizacker, Mangold, and Professor 
Schurer have written learnedly and at length, 
endeavoring to find a solution, a plausible 
cause for the sudden change, but seemingly 
with no success. 

Encouraged by the pleasing reception of 
his epistles to the Thessalonians, the Corinth- 
ians, and the Galatians, Paul resolved to write 
a letter of love and congratulations to his 
Christian brethren in the Imperial City. 
From the days of his youth in the city of 
Tarsus to the hour of his martyrdom in Rome 
he could not banish from his bosom a burning 
love for his people, his kindred by the ties 
of blood. Ages back, even before our authen- 
tic records began, the Jewish people reckon 
their ancestry, and lovingly reverence its 
memory. On the banks of the Euphrates, 
the Jordan, and the Nile they had lived de- 
voted to their faith, studious of their rites and 
ceremonies, and loyal to their various tribes. 
Among them had lived poets of great renown, 
patriarchs and prophets, holy men who had 
blessed the earth and walked with God. To 
Paul all these things became a sacred memory. 
Note how pleasingly he writes of them, with 
what loving pride he speaks of their old tra- 

120 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



ditions. This is but a law of nature, born in 
the Garden of Eden, and reaching down 
through all the ages. The lark sings sweetest 
when it hears the song of its mates in the 
woodland choir. 

This letter to the church of Rome is one of 
the crowning gems of sacred literature. In 
the estimation of many students it is regarded 
as the noblest and the best of the Pauline 
epistles. It is rich in thought. In argument 
and power of reasoning no philosopher can 
hope to surpass it. In beauty of expression 
and classic diction it stands as a great prose 
poem. 

The church at Rome was in every way a 
Gentile church, yet in the roster of its mem- 
bership was a number of Jews who could not 
forget the laws and the ceremonies of their 
ancient church. To these Paul addressed 
himself, as he had done in former letters. He 
remonstrated, he reasoned, he begged them to 
remember that the blood of Christ was now 
all-sufficient for their sins and transgressions. 
He would not have them forget that the old 
ties were severed; that the twilight of their 
usefulness had hovered the old traditions with 
its silent wings. He implored them to let 
the old tenets of their faith become buried 

121 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



with the ages that sleep in the dust of antiquity 
and to rejoice in the dawn of the new morning 
of which their prophets of sacred memory had 
so long written and sung. 

The old manuscript of this letter, and many 
copies, have been found in carefully guarded 
archives and ancient monastaries. In Rome, 
in St. Petersburg, in London, in Paris, in 
Dresden, in Hamburg and in Moscow. Frag- 
ments exist in the Laura Monastery on Mt. 
Athos, in Turin, in Venice, and in the Con- 
vent of St. Catherine on Mt. Sinai. 

The student may consult: 

Hollzmann's "Introduction", Freiburg, 1892, 

St. John Parry , "Cambridge Greek Testa- 
ment", 1912, 

Westcotfs "St. Paul and Justification", 
London, 1913, 

James Denny, "Expositor's Greek Testa- 
ment", New York, 1900. 



122 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Colossians — Ephesians — Philippians — 
Philemon — Hebrews 

TN the foregoing chapters, descriptive of the 
A Epistles of Paul, we have selected the 
letters which we believe to be the most illus- 
trative of the apostle's methods in writing to 
the early churches of that formative and 
critical age, and those that throw the most 
light upon his character as a man, and as a 
great Christian personality. We will there- 
fore group the remaining letters in a more 
condensed form, giving a short historic account 
of every one as it appeared in its primitive 
state, fresh from the hand of the writer. We 
will now notice, hastily, the apostle's letters 
to the Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, and 
to Philemon. These epistles were written in 
the year 62 or 63. Paul was then a prisoner 
at Rome, " Under guard," as he expresses it, 
"in his own hired house.' ' It was a critical 
time in his busy, eventful life. The clouds 
had now begun to gather. The shadows were 
deepening, the twilight was weaving its sombre 
veil. Nero upon his imperial throne was 
knitting his brow, and the swiftest persecu- 

123 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



tions were soon to overtake the helpless 
Christians. A few critics have questioned 
the authenticity of some of these epistles upon 
the assumption that they are not wholly 
Pauline in style and in phraseology. The 
criticism seems to be unworthy of serious 
consideration when we reflect that Paul, 
looking prophetically to the dark hours that 
awaited his coming, clothed his thought and 
speech in a tongue of sweeter measure. In 
former times he had scolded the children of 
his faith for sin and disobedience, yet loving 
them the while with an affection inspiring to 
see. The thought of death and its near 
approach softens the strings of the harp of 
life. He could look now into the pale king- 
doms of eternity and see the mighty hosts 
that should sing a song of glory at his coming. 
"For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." 
He was rejoicing now in the thought that a 
crown of glory and righteousness was laid up 
for him in heaven. Hence, we can readily see 
how easily a difference in thought and phrase- 
ology may be discovered in his last epistles as 
compared with his first. Death and the 
heavy hours that precede it are great levelers 
of thought and speech. 

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COLO SSI AN S. 

Colosse was an ancient city of Asia Minor, 
in Phrygia Major, on the Lycus river, an 
important branch of the Meander. It is 
described by Xenophon, in the Anabasis, as 
being a large and flourishing city, even in the 
time of Xerxes, 480 years before Christ. Like 
Laodicea it was one of the commercial centers 
of antiquity. From the time of Cyrus it 
began to decay, and by the Middle Ages it 
had disappeared altogether, and is now only 
remembered as being the place where Paul 
sent one of his immortal letters to the early 
Christian church established there. We have 
no evidence to warrant the belief that Paul 
was ever in Colosse. It seems that the 
church there was founded by Epaphras, who 
was a missionary for a group of churches in 
that immediate section. Colosse was within 
ten miles of Laodicea, and thirteen miles of 
Hierapolis. The country was thickly popu- 
lated, and in every way a virgin field for the 
propagation of the religion of Jesus Christ. 

Paul's letter, as stated before, was written 

in A. D. 62. It was sent from Rome and 

doubtless its composition beguiled the tedious 

hours that hung heavily about his prison 

life. The prison epistles are remarkable for 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



a peculiar pathos and for a noble elevation of 
thought and feeling. Armitage Robinson, 
one time dean of Westminster, has wisely 
said: "The epistles are a supreme exposition, 
non-controversial, positive and fundamental 
of the great doctrine of life, the doctrine of the 
unity of mankind in Christ, and of the purpose 
of God for the world through the church/ 9 
The letter was written by the hand of Tychi- 
cus, and by him and Onesimus was delivered 
to the elders of the Colossian church. 

EPHESIANS. 

Ephesus was a city renowned for its wealth, 
and in early ages was regarded as one of the 
wonders of the world. It was the chief city 
of Ionia, the capital of the Roman province 
of Asia. A temple, dedicated to Diana, was 
its artistic glory and at once commanded the 
supreme admiration of the nations of the 
earth. The city proper was situated on hills 
that rose from a fertile plain by the shores of 
the Cayster river. It is said to have been 
founded by the mythical Amazons, whose 
priests conceived the beautiful temple men- 
tioned above. 

Here in this ancient city, old when Rome 
was built upon the banks of the Tiber, one 

126 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



of the seven apostolic churches was organized. 
Like the Colossian letter, and which it very 
much resembles, it was written in A. D. 62, 
probably in Cesarea, as Paul's place of 
imprisonment was sometimes changed to 
suit the whims of the Neronian guards. It 
may be regarded as a kind of circular letter, 
addressed and read to the churches and con- 
gregations in the country districts, as well as 
to the Christians in Ephesus, Laodicea and 
the saints in and around Colosse. Some 
Bible students claim that the epistle was 
written in Rome, and offer many reasons in 
support of the contention. It was written 
by Tychicus, but history does not reveal the 
name of the carrier who bore it to its desti- 
nation. Like all Paul's prison letters there is 
a vein of sadness running through its lines, 
yet a pleasing effort to convey his feeling of 
contentment in his condition. It was Paul's 
expressed wish that the Colossian letter and 
the Ephesian epistle should be read together. 

PHILIPPIANS. 

An ancient city of Macedonia on the river 
Angista, overlooking an extensive plain of no 
great distance from the coast of the iEgean, 
on the highway between Neapolis and the city 

127 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



of Thessalonica. The city took its name 
from Philip of Macedon, who fortified the 
town as one of the frontier cities. It is 
celebrated in Roman history as being near the 
plain where Brutus and Cassius were defeated 
in battle with Antony and Octavius. It is 
now fallen into ruins and altogether uninhab- 
ited. Among the ruins may be found the 
substructures of an amphitheatre, parts of a 
great temple of the emperor Claudius, which 
have furnished a variety of interesting inscrip- 
tions. At a little distance to the east are the 
remains of a huge stone monument, known 
to the Turks as Dikelitash, and to the Greeks 
as the manger of Bucephalus. 

Philippi was the first European city visited 
by St. Paul. There he established a church 
with "bishops" and "deacons," and organized 
it as a divine government equipped for the 
service of God. It seems to have been a con- 
gregation of considerable wealth, for it con- 
tributed bountifully to the poor of other 
churches. To aid the apostle in his continued 
confinement the church sent Epaphroditus 
with money to supply his personal needs. 
For this generous gift Paul wrote a letter of 
thanks to the elders of the church, and through 
them to the saints in general. 

128 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



It is a beautiful letter. He rejoices to know 
that they love and remember him in his 
helpless and lonely afflictions. He hastens 
to tell them how often, in the darkness of his 
prison, he remembers them in his prayers to 
heaven. He glories in their earnestness, stead- 
fastness, and beautiful faith in Christ. To 
them he will send Timotheus to join them in 
holy worship, and to bring to him consoling 
news of their spiritual condition. They are 
his joy and his crown. He longs to be with 
them again. 

The epistle was written in Rome in 63 or 
64. It seems to have been penned by Epaph- 
roditus, and by him sent "to all the saints 
in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi." 

PHILEMON. 

The student must not be misled by the 
word imprisonment to believe that Paul was 
confined in dungeons or in chains. He was 
not treated as a prisoner who had been 
guilty of a crime against society, but his 
liberties had to be curtailed only as a minister 
of Jesus Christ. His arrest and confinement 
were brought about by Jewish malice and 
intrigue. The Jews by this time had come to 
be numerically, politically, and financially 

129 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



strong in the Roman Empire, and their wishes 
and demands naturally commanded attention 
and respect. The great body of Roman 
people, both civil and official, found no evil 
design or defiance of law in the daily conduct 
of the fearless apostle. Hence, Paul had many 
privileges and kindnesses granted him by the 
Roman guards who, like Agrippa and officers 
of the crown, could say: "This man doeth 
nothing worthy of death or of bonds.' ' So 
Paul was allowed to see his friends, and to 
entertain them in "his own hired house to 
send letters to his beloved people in Christ, 
and to receive gifts from them as his needs 
required. 

This letter to Philemon was the last of the 
prison epistles — we mean, of course, during 
his first imprisonment — and is the shortest of 
all Paul's recorded writings. It is unique in 
that it consists of a letter to a personal friend 
in behalf of a slave who had deserted his 
master. Onesimus was the servant of Phile- 
mon and in an evil moment ran away and went 
to Rome. There he heard Paul preach of 
Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven, and 
straightway joined in the cause of the saints. 
Reflecting upon the crime of deserting his 
master he implored the apostle to ask Philemon 

130 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



to receive him again as a slave, and to forgive 
him for his unfaithfulness. This Paul happily 
agreed to do, and the letter was written by 
Onesimus and carried to his master. It was 
only a friendly missive, embodying a personal 
request, but it was elegantly accomplished 
and illumines the writer's love of justice and 
for his fellow man. U A few friendly lines/ 9 
says Sabatier, "so full of grace and wit, of 
earnest truthful affection that this short 
epistle shines among the rich treasures of the 
New Testament as a pearl of exquisite 
fineness. " 

HEBREWS. 
The letter to the Hebrews was written 
during an eventful period of time. It seems 
to have been composed just before or during 
the destruction of Jerusalem, for the writer 
appears to have been charged with the fear 
or expectation of some great and momentous 
event about to take place. By many writers 
the time is definitely settled as the year 68, 
69, or 70. The unholy persecution of the 
Christians was in its merciless flame. Nero 
died in June 68, but the slaughter of the 
saints, which his evil mind inaugurated, did 
not cease when he ignominiously quitted the 
Roman throne. In the year 70 Vesuvius 

131 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



shook the earth with her thunders of fire and 
sea of molten lava. It seems then that the 
hour was perilous and fraught with dangers 
that threatened the very existence of the 
Christian Church. 

The epistle was addressed to Hebrew Chris- 
tians, but failed to mention any specific con- 
gregation or church. Nevertheless, it is 
reasonable to suppose that the writer had in 
mind certain Hebrew churches in Jerusalem, 
Rome or Cesarea. Weisler and Davidson 
claim that the letter was addressed to the 
Hebrews of Egypt, and particularly of Alex- 
andria. Alford, Westcott, and Canon Farrar 
are of the opinion that the epistle was sent to 
the Hebrew converts of Rome. There is also 
much division of opinion concerning the city 
or country from which the letter was sent. 
Rome may have been the city from which it 
emanated. It is claimed also that the writer 
composed the gospel while on a visit to Jeru- 
salem. 

The very early fathers of the Eastern and 
Alexandrian churches in the second and third 
centuries believed, without disquieting doubts, 
that Paul was the undisputed author of 
Hebrews. Clement of Alexandria, Origen, 
and Eusebius were content to accept Paul as 

132 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



the author. The ' 'American Revised Version' 9 
omits the Apostle's name, but the heading of 
the epistle in the " Authorized Revised 
Version/' says: 'The Epistle of Paul the 
Apostle to the Hebrews." Modern writers, 
among them Owen, Lardner, Bengel, Rosen- 
muller, Stuart, Bloomfield, and Hofman state 
that Paul was undoubtedly the author. 
Martin Luther was convinced that Paul did 
not write the letter, but that the learned and 
eloquent Apollos, who wrought mightily for 
Christ and the Kingdom, was doubtless the 
author, joining this view of Luther we find 
Tholuck, Bunsen, and Hilgenfeld. There is 
also a well-expressed belief that Barnabas 
may have penned the letter. Tradition claims 
that Tertullian, secluded in some African 
city, was the genius that gave it birth. Dol- 
linger and John Calvin were persuaded that 
Luke wrote the entire gospel, while Ewald, 
Grimm, and Lipsius go on record as saying 
that the authorship of Hebrews is wholly 
unknown. 

The objections to the ancient belief that 
Paul wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews are 
found in the statement that the phraseology 
and general literary style of the letter are not 
in harmony with the apostle's other writings; 

133 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



that all of his former letters, while being rich, 
rugged, noble in expression, were yet wanting 
in polish and classic allusions which are so 
abundantly found in the epistle in question. 
However, this seems to be a weak objection, 
since many writers change their wonted or 
accustomed manner of expression as the years 
unfold into the bloom of ripened culture. 

The author, whoever he may have been, was 
evidently a Jew, a Hellenist, and a scholar of 
the Alexandrian type, for he seems to have 
been acquainted with the Old Testament 
scriptures, and with contemporary philosophy 
and Hebrew thought. He belonged unques- 
tionably to the Pauline circle, and wrote 
beautifully along the lines in which the great 
apostle so often preached and taught. 

But the fact that we cannot ascertain or 
definitely know who wrote the Hebrew letter 
argues nothing against the validity, charm, 
and beauty of the gospel. The author of the 
book of Job is shrouded in the deepening 
shades of antiquity. The writer retires 
behind a mystic, impenetrable veil, but seems 
to say: Behold what beautiful faith and 
patience, tried through tribulations, sorrows 
and afflictions, have I shown you here. Trust 
the Lord and be wise ! We do not know who 

134 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



wrote the second part of Isaiah, yet is it not 
the voice of heaven and of heaven's angels 
speaking to us through the ages gone? We 
praise the sturdy ship that battles with the 
storm and the waves to carry us to a haven 
of safety, yet we know not who built its 
mighty engines, or fashioned its anchors 
strong. The question as to who planted the 
rose detracts nothing from the glory of its 
beauty or the sweetness of its odor. 

The reader may consult Hofman's Com- 
mentaries; Westcott's Notes; Edwards, in 
" Expositor's Bible Commentaries of Von 
Soden, and Davidson's "Handbook of the 
Bible." 

The ancient manuscripts containing 
Hebrews will be found in the following 
codices : 

Codex Sinaiticus, now in St. Petersburg, 
Russia, 

Codex Alexandrinus, in the British Museum, 
Codex Claromontanus, now in the Paris 
Library, 

Codex Augiensis, now in Trinity College, 
Cambridge. 



135 



CHAPTER IX. 



Pastoral Epistles 

HE Pastoral Epistles may claim our atten- 



x tion now. They consist of three letters, 
one to Titus and two to Timothy. Paul was 
now growing old. From the momentous hour 
when he heard the plaintive voice and saw 
the flash of light on Damascus road, he had 
seen no rest, save in the peaceful contempla- 
tion of his noble part in the Gospel of Jesus 
Christ. Affliction, painful and depressing 
affliction, had known him from the days of 
his youth. Raging fevers had taxed his 
weary body until he was nigh unto death; he 
had felt the pangs of hunger, thirst and loneli- 
ness in a foreign land. He had been stoned, 
beaten with the lash, insulted and reviled. 
Kindred and friends had driven him with 
curses from their councils and from their 
daily walks of life; the assassin had lain ixu 
wait for his coming; the waves of the sea had 
sought him for its tomb in the great deep. 
Even if he should escape the headsman's ax, 
which he could in nowise hope to do, age, with 
its slowly folding wings, was near with its 
starless night to enfeeble the brain and cur- 




136 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



tain the windows of the soul. Hence, it was 
time, yea, the hour was come when the torch 
of the flame of life must be held aloft by other 
hands. Titus and Timothy were his beloved 
disciples, his companions in the spiritual life. 
In the early days of his ministry they had 
seen and heard the great Apostle ; had listened 
and loved and learned. They had joined him 
in the work that should bless the nations of 
the earth, to labour in whatsoever capacity 
Paul should see cause to place them. It was 
a beautiful union of love and devotion, an 
inspiring story that brightens the ages of 
antiquity and illumines the pages of sacred 
history. 

Titus was probably a native of Syria or 
southeastern Asia Minor. Some writers claim 
that his home was in Antioch. He was a 
Greek by birth, the son of Gentile parents. 
The name is Latin. St. Chrysostom says 
that he was born in Corinth and educated in 
that city, but it is only fair to state that much 
of his life, prior to his Christian activities, is 
wholly unknown. The generally accepted 
belief that he was very young at the time of 
his conversion is simply imagination. Not a 
line relative to his age is recorded in St. Paul's 
writings. He was doubtless the first mission- 

137 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



ary to the Greeks. He is said to have carried 
the Gospel to Crete and to Dalmatia; also to 
other provinces in the neighborhood of Achaia 
and Macedonia. He may have been with 
Paul when he wrote his epistle to the Gala- 
tians, for we find the first mention of his 
name in this connection. In the Acts of the 
Apostles we have no record of his work at all. 
He was frequently Paul's emissary to collect 
funds for the saints in Jerusalem and else- 
where, acquitting himself honorably on every 
kind of mission and with credit to the cause 
he represented. He was a faithful disciple 
whom Paul could trust with unlimited con- 
fidence in the most intricate and vexing prob- 
lems pertaining to the extension and welfare 
of the Christian church. He was left by the 
Apostle in Crete to "set in order the things 
that are wanting and to ordain elders in every 
city." 

Paul's letter to Titus was written some time 
between 64 and 67, probably from Macedonia. 
In the latter years of his life he was a bishop 
and much beloved by his people. Tradition 
says that he died at an advanced age. His 
death is commemorated by the Greek, Syriac 
and Maronite churches on August 25th, and 
by the Latin church on January 4th. 

138 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Timothy was a native of Lystra. His 
father was a Greek, his mother — Eunice by 
name — was a Jewess of classic lineage. He 
seems to have had eminent grace and pleasing 
gifts of nature, being courteous, affable, and 
kind. When he was a child his father died, 
leaving him to the care of his mother, who 
trained him in the ways of the old prophets 
and patriarchs. Hence, from the days of his 
youth he was spiritually-minded, loving, 
seemingly beyond his years, the things that 
led to righteousness and to a holy life. In 
Lystra and in Iconium, in any country where 
he was intimately known, his influence and 
manly, virtuous walk and intercourse with 
men were the theme of age and the envy of 
youth. 

To Christ and the glory of the New Dis- 
pensation he was converted when a mere boy. 
The story of the manger and the beautiful 
teachings of the Master appealed to him as 
a voice coming down from the old prophets, 
blessed of heaven and hallowed of age. He 
abandoned the faith of his fathers, yea, the 
teachings of his mother who cradled him into 
life. He rejoiced in the new light that divinely 
illumined his soul; his feet were now upon 
the clouds. 

139 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Timothy was a favorite disciple of the great 
Apostle. From his youth Paul loved him as 
a natural father loves his dutiful son. Of the 
thirteen epistles six bear his name in the 
superscription in conjunction with Paul's. 
He was the Apostle's friend, his aid, his am- 
bassador in a kingdom whose holy city is the 
throne of God. His was no menial service, 
born of fear or of hero-worship, but a service 
emanating from love and affection unparal- 
leled in sacred history. It was fitting then 
that Paul should wish his ministerial robes to 
fall upon the shoulders of Titus and Timothy. 
For three and thirty years, standing on the 
brink and shore of time, he had preached the 
Gospel of Christ to an unwilling and perverse 
generation. The Lord had been with him; 
had clothed his soul and mind in beautiful 
imagery so that his tongue had the power of 
persuasive eloquence to move the erring multi- 
tudes to quit the walks of sin and death. 
Could he not now impart to his beloved 
children in the faith the great gifts with which 
heaven had so bountifully blessed him? 

Paul's first letter to Timothy was written 
and sent from Macedonia in 64-67. It will 
be remembered that at this time he also wrote 
to Titus. The two letters are very similar in 

140 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



thought, in instruction, and in phraseology. 
They were composed just before his last im- 
prisonment, but even then the storm-clouds 
had begun to gather and the distant thunders 
to warn the saints of coming dangers. 

Again we are confronted with the claims 
of a few critics who would have us believe 
that Paul did not write the Pastoral Letters. 
Bauer, Hilgenfeld, Meyer, Ebvard, Weiseler 
and Pressence have gone on record as denying 
the authenticity of the epistles in question. 
Intending no offense, we must express our 
convictions here that such claims and state- 
ments are unworthy of serious consideration. 
The argument used, that the letters are not 
Pauline in thought, in doctrine, and in literary 
construction, is singularly wanting in facts, 
and consequently unconvincing. As we have 
previously stated, conditions, environment and 
age often produce a change, a revolution in 
the thoughts of writers and in their styles 
and manners of expression. Martin Luther's 
forensic and written efforts grew in grace and 
power with the tide of increasing years. 
Poor, complaining, dyspeptic Carlyle softened 
the sting of his biting sarcasm as the frosts 
of time whitened his locks and enfeebled his 
steps. In his "Sketches by Boz" Charles 

141 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Dickens gave no promise of " David Copper- 
fielcT or the story of Little Nell. "Hans of 
Iceland/' an early effort of Victor Hugo, is visi- 
bly dwarfed by comparison with the classic 
lines of "Les Miser ables." The early fathers 
of the Christian church, living nearer in point 
of time, and aided by tradition as well as by 
facts, found no cause and had no desire to 
question the authenticity of the Pastoral 
Letters. Tertullian, Justin Martyr, Ireneus, 
St. Ignatius, and the venerable Polycarp were 
content and at rest with the conviction that 
Paul was the sole and undisputed author of 
these noble and instructive epistles. Let us 
hope that we will offend no earnest and care- 
ful writer when we say that without warrant 
of facts and the clearest reasons, it is harm- 
ful — almost treasonable — to attack and en- 
deavor to destroy the accepted foundations 
upon which our sacred religion is built. These 
self-appointed critics, these romance writers, 
toying with life and the hope of immortality, 
have nothing to offer, nothing to build upon 
the ruins which their destructive and unholy 
hands have wrought. Let them be dismissed 
as a disturbing element in which no peace or 
comfort may be found. 

142 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



How beautiful are these Pastoral Letters! 
Observe how affectionately, how tenderly the 
opening lines begin. Among all of his disci- 
ples Paul seems to have loved, in his heart of 
hearts, Titus and Timothy best. They had 
been near him when the storm-clouds were 
thundering their mighty terrors. They had 
dressed his wounds and healed his stripes that 
merciless malice made. They had softened 
his pillow and soothed him to rest when the 
chains of affliction fell upon him among a 
strange people in a strange land where the 
court and the crown closed the gates of mercy 
against them. Hence, the treasures of his 
great soul were open to all their needs; he 
would enroll them in the divine university of 
the Master and clothe them in the wisdom of 
all the ages. The three letters abound in 
words of deep affection, gentle admonitions 
and fatherly love. He rejoices to tell them 
that daily he remembers them in his prayers. 
He would have them remember that a bishop, 
whose robes they wear, should be sober, gen- 
tle of nature, holy and pure of life. They 
must show themselves to be patterns in good 
works; they must fight a good fight for the 
Kingdom whose spiritual ruler is Christ; they 
must preach sound doctrine, give thanks to 

143 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



God and supplications for all men. They 
should give attendance to exhortation, openly 
rebuke sin and evil, and abound in patience, 
love and charity. 

The second letter to Timothy seems to 
have been written in 67 or 68, A. D. Paul was 
then a prisoner in Rome. The interval be- 
tween his first and last imprisonment he spent 
in Asia and in Macedonia, wintering, probably, 
in Nicopolis. He was restless, diligent for 
Christ; he could not bridle his tongue and be 
silent. The Roman authorities warned him 
repeatedly, breathing threatenings of death; 
but death had no terrors for him now. We 
hear him utter the beautiful words: "For me 
to live is Christ, and to die is gain." This 
second epistle to Timothy was the last letter, 
the last line that came from his pen. It is 
beautiful even in its unfolding sadness and 
dream of heaven and immortality, so near to 
him now. Many of his friends, his faithful 
disciples, had left him when the chains bound 
him in the dungeon, for no help or service 
could they render in this gloomy hour. Luke 
remained with him, probably to comfort and 
to cheer his few remaining days. In his let- 
ter he begs Timothy to come to him quickly, 
and to bring Mark with him, as he was profit- 

144 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



able to him in many ways. His cloak, which 
he had left at Troas and the roll of parchment 
and books, he also desired. This was his 
last request. The curtain falls now and the 
final scenes of his life are shrouded in the 
hovering wings of an impenetrable night. 

Paul doubtless died by beheading, the 
method used in the punishment of distin- 
guished prisoners. It was a terrible time. 
The river of death, crimsoned with the blood 
of the saints, rolled on and on to the deep of the 
silent sea. Storm-clouds gathered and thun- 
ders roared about the heads of defenseless 
Christians, but the star of hope still gleamed 
in the heavens and its trembling light was 
never dimmed. 

Ireneus places the death of Paul a year 
after that of Peter. The older witnesses, 
Clement, Dionysius of Corinth, and Tertullian 
set no specific time. Roman tradition, which 
alone comes to our relief, claims the place of 
Paul's martyrdom was at a spot three miles 
from Rome on the Ostian Way, anciently 
known as Aquea Salvia, and now as Tre 
Fontane. Near the place of execution stands 
the beautiful Basilica Paulia, founded by the 
emperor Constantine, where millions have 

145 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



stood with uncovered heads to honor the un- 
dying memory of the great Apostle. 

Many letters and other writings have been 
ascribed to St. Paul that are clearly apochry- 
phal and pseudonymous. He is credited with 
a letter to the Laodiceans, which, from early 
times, was regarded as spurious. It is, how- 
ever, found in many Latin manuscripts of 
the New Testament. A third Epistle to the 
Corinthians is found in an Armenian version 
with a letter also to Paul. It has been several 
times printed, the best edition being that of 
Aucher in 1819. Jerome somewhere men- 
tions the "Letters of St. Paul to Seneca," 
and it is one time referred to, we believe, by 
Augustine. Early in the seventh century a 
work appeared which attracted some atten- 
tion under the title of "Acts of Paul and 
Peter." Another was known as "The Acts 
of Paul and Thecla," and a third as "The 
Apocalypse of Paul." 

It is with more than a passing sadness that 
we now bid adieu to the great Apostle and 
his notable work. With him we have gone on 
a pleasing pilgrimage in a land where two 
thousand years of time have woven a veil of 
holy memories. He has been a noble com- 
panion; our journey has not been without its 

146 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



hour of comfort — a kind of beautiful sabbath 
about which lingers sweetly heaven's inspir- 
ing, celestial light. We found him sitting at 
the feet of Gamaliel, drinking deeply of pagan 
philosophy and the religion of his fathers, his 
soul doubtless aglow with the thought and 
prospect of becoming a learned rabbi of his 
native tribe. We have seen him going down 
to Damascus with sword and chain to scourge 
and bind a helpless people whose only crime 
had been to love and worship the Nazarene 
who died on the Roman cross. We have 
heard the gentle voice that called and arrested 
his hurrying feet; saw him fall as if the vol- 
canic thunders of the earth had paralyzed his 
strength. We have seen him in Arabia, 
silently communing with the Master, whose 
people and righteous cause he had so diligently 
sought to crush. We have heard him pro- 
claiming the gospel of Christ in great syna- 
gogues; on Mars Hill; on the highways and in 
the lowly haunts of the poor. We have seen 
him in poverty, in deep sorrow, in the throes 
of hunger and affliction. We have seen him 
hunted like the wild beasts of the jungles; 
stoned and beaten with stripes; buffeted, 
cursed, wrecked at sea. How nobly he en- 
dured everything for Christ ! 

147 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



In the midst of his pitiless tortures Savona- 
rola cried, "Lord, thou hast suffered more for 
me than I am suffering for you!" Among 
the throngs that followed Peter the Hermit to 
Jerusalem was an old woman whose weight 
of years crushed her waning strength. At 
the foot of Mount Taurus, where the Grecian 
sun is merciless in its mighty waves of heat, 
she lay down to die. Refusing relief she said 
to her comrades: "Let me pass away in 
peace. It is glorious to die for Christ. He 
suffered and died for me; I am dying now for 
Him." Divinely beautiful were the last words 
of Paul to his beloved Timothy. Looking 
back, three and thirty years, over a busy and 
stormy life he wrote: 

"I am now ready to be offered, and the time 
of my departure is at hand. I have fought a 
good fight, I have finished my course, I have 
kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up 
for me a crown of righteousness, which the 
Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at 
that day." 

He was, all in all, a divine philosopher. At 
all times he enlists our deepest admiration. 
When we think of him, when we utter his 
name, we are clothed in a beautiful, sacred 
and sanctified solemnity that brings us nearer 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



to God and to heavenly things. Of him it 
can be said, as it was said of Brutus, "His 
life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in 
him that nature might stand up and say to 
all the world, 'There was a man! 1 " 

If the student desires to be well grounded 
and proficient in all that pertains to the 
wonderful career of the greatest missionary 
that ever lived, the following works may be 
consulted with much pleasure and profit: 

Farrar's — "Life and Works of St. Paul," 
1902, 

C. C. Clemens'— 1 Taulus," 1904, 
Ramsay's— "St. Paul the Traveller," 1898, 
Conybeare-Howson' s — "Life and Epistles of 

St. Paul," 1906, 

Robertson's — "Epochs in the Life of St. 

Paul " 1909 

Gilbert's— "Students , Life of St. Paul," 

1910, 

Drummond's — "Paul, His Life and Teach- 
ings," 1911, 

The old manuscripts of Paul's writings may 
be found in the following codices: Sinaiticus, 
Vaticanus, Bezea, Alexandrinus, Ephrami, 
Claromontanus, and in several others. 



149 



CHAPTER X. 
Peter — James — Jude — John 

TDETER was an early follower and apostle 
A of Christ. His original name was Simon. 
Our Lord frequently called him Cephas, or 
Petros, the former an Aramaic, the latter a 
Greek word, both signifying a stone or rock. 
He was a native of Bethsaida, on the Sea of 
Galilee. His father was sometimes called 
John, but more frequently known as Jonas; 
hence, the son was sometimes addressed as 
" Bar- Jonah.' ' He was by occupation a fisher- 
man; was married and said to have lived in 
Capernaum where he maintained a house and 
grounds. His brother Andrew, having been 
a disciple of John the Baptist, brought him to 
Jesus in the early days of His ministry. At 
the beginning of the Galilean ministry, accord- 
ing to the testimony of St. Mark, he was called, 
in company with James and John, from the 
Lake of Gennesaret, to become " fishers of men.' ' 
From the time of the call Peter has a place in 
many important events in the Gospel narrative. 
It was at his house in Capernaum where 
Christ lived when He claimed that city as 
His special home. It is easy and most natural 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



to conclude that their intimacy and associa- 
tions were cordial, sweet, and divine. " Peter 
formed, with his two former partners James 
and John, an apostolic triumvirate, which 
was admitted when all others were excluded, 
and to whom, with Andrew, was committed 
the great prophecy of the last days." (E. 
Hatch.) It seems that Peter, at the begin- 
ning of the New Dispensation, was the leading 
and foremost apostle, probably from force of 
character and from his early acquaintance 
with the Master. This distinction, however, 
was gradually wrested from him by the cease- 
less activities and successful efforts of St. 
Paul. Often the two great missionaries 
laboured together. Dionysius of Corinth says 
that Peter and Paul founded the church at 
Corinth together, and then proceeded to 
Italy. Ireneus speaks of Peter and Paul as 
having together founded the church at Rome. 
The Roman church claims that Peter, for 
more than twenty-five years, was bishop of 
the church in that city. Tradition represents 
Peter as having worked in Antioch, in Asia 
Minor, in Babylonia, and in the "country of 
the barbarians/ ' on the northern shores of 
the Black Sea. 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Evidence is wanting to establish the gen- 
erally accepted tradition that Peter suffered 
martyrdom with Paul at the same time and 
place. Both were beheaded during the Nero- 
nian reign of terror, but Peter perished some 
time in 67 and Paul in 68. It has been 
claimed that Peter's wife also suffered martyr- 
dom, and as she was being led to the place of 
execution Peter cried out: "O dutiful wife, 
remember the Lord !" This tradition is doubt- 
less true, for many women whose zeal and 
devotion led them to battle for the Cause 
were thrown to hungry beasts and mercilessly 
butchered on the streets and in their homes. 

The epistle of St. Peter was written in A. D. 
64 to 67. It is addressed to "The elect who 
are sojourners of the dispersion in Pontus, 
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." 
Learned students, ancient and modern, inter- 
pret this phrase to mean Jewish Christians, 
Athanasius, Jerome, Epiphanius, Lange and 
Weiss unite in this exegesis. Others, claiming 
a broader interpretation, believe that the 
apostle meant "the children of God who are 
scattered abroad/ ' whether Jews or Gentiles. 
The letter seems to have been written at a 
time when the Christians of Asia Minor were 
calumniated and persecuted. It exhorts them 

152 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



to bear their trials patiently and to rejoice, 
as they were " partakers of the sufferings of 
Christ/ ' He would have them remember 
that they are a "chosen generation, a royal 
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, 
that should show forth the praises of Him 
who hath called you out of darkness into His 
marvelous light." His admonitions, his 
wishes arid advice are beautifully blended 
with hope, love, and patience. "Be all of 
one mind, having compassion one for another; 
love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous/ ' 
When we consider that Peter was only a 
fisherman, following the fortunes of the sea, 
doubtless poor and uneducated, a child of the 
toiling, weary multitude, born, as the poor 
sometimes express it, "under the changing 
light of an evil star," we wonder at the clear- 
ness of his thoughts and the simple yet beauti- 
ful language in which he clothed them. Sure- 
ly there was some power to guide the pen in 
its alluring, silent speech* 

The epistle, we believe, was written and 
sent from Babylon. Some believe that the 
name " Babylon/ 1 as used by the apostle, was 
a mythical name for Rome. Nevertheless, in 
the opinion of Erasmus, Calvin, Neander and 
Lightfoot, the epistle was really written in 

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Babylon, and borne to its destination by 
Sylvanus. 

SECOND PETER. 

A short epistle, consisting of only three 
chapters. It is supposed to have been written 
in 67, just before the apostle's martyrdom, 
which gives it a solemn interest. It was 
addressed to a wide circle of believers, to all 
Christians in general. Its authorship has 
been disputed by many scholarly men. It is 
not included in the Muratorian Fragment or 
in the Peshito-Syriac. Eusebius ranks it 
among the list of disputed books, and Jerome 
testifies that many in his age rejected it. It 
is very strongly written, and abounds in 
beautiful admonitions to the faithful and 
unerring in Christ. In defense of the con- 
tention that Peter was its author Dr. Gloag 
very wisely says: "It must be remembered 
that the fathers of the fourth century, when 
the canon of the New Testament was fixed, 
had many more grounds to go upon than we 
possess, and the various parts were only 
admitted after careful examination.' ' 

The ancient manuscripts of Peter's epistles, 
on papyrus and on parchment, may be found 
in guarded archives, monasteries, and mu- 
seums in many parts of Europe. a An ex- 

154 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



tended notice of them will be given in another 
chapter. 

JAMES. 

Two apostles have gone by the name of 
James — one the son of Zebedee the brother of 
John, and who was put to death by Herod 
Agrippa; the other known as James the Less, 
or Little, the description alluding, evidently, 
to his stature. He was the son of Alpheus. 
He is supposed by some Bible students to have 
written the epistle general that bears his 
name. That James, the brother of the Lord, 
wrote the letter in question is nowhere 
doubted. He was known to the people of 
Galilee and Jerusalem as "James the Just." 
He evidently was not one of the Twelve, as 
it is claimed he was not converted until after 
the Resurrection, when Jesus appeared to him 
again. In the years following he became the 
pastor or bishop of the church of Jerusalem, 
and was loved for his piety, earnestness, and 
Christian virtues. His martyrdom in Jerusa- 
lem was recorded by Josephus in his "History 
of the Jews." Hegesippus, the ecclesiastical 
historian of the second century, renders quite 
a unique account of his life. We will repeat 
it in part as quoted by the renowned church- 
man and historian, Eusebius: 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



"The charge of the church after the ascen- 
sion devolved on James, the brother of the 
Lord, in concert with the apostles. He was 
holy from his birth, drank no wine or strong 
drink, nor ate animal food. No razor came 
on his head, and he did not anoint himself 
with oil nor use the bath. To him only was 
it permitted to enter the "Holy of Holies. " 
His knees became hard like a camel's because 
he was always kneeling in the temple asking 
forgiveness for the people.' ' 

The epistle of James is supposed to have 
been written at a very early date. Indeed, 
many writers boldly state that it was the 
earliest of all the epistles, even antedating 
First Thessalonians. Neander, Alford, Sal- 
mon, and Weiss so claim. Others are con- 
vinced that it was written just before the 
apostle's martyrdom, in A. D. 62 or 63, and 
this belief finds favour with Bleek, Ewald, 
Wordsworth and Farrar. 

The letter is addressed "To the Twelve 
Tribes which are scattered abroad," and is 
composed in a noble, beautiful and Christian 
spirit. 

JUDE. 

Jude describes himself, in this epistle gen- 
eral, as "the brother of James," but neglects 

156 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



to inform his brethren which James he means. 
He has been identified by a few writers as 
Judas, but not Iscariot who betrayed Christ. 
He was known also as Lebbeus and again as 
Thaddeus. That he was the brother of James 
was the opinion of the fathers in general, and 
modern scholars, including Winer, Hofman, 
Lange, Tragelles, and Wentworth concur in 
this opinion. Very likely the James who was 
bishop of the church in Jerusalem and this 
Judas were the brethren referred to by our 
Lord in Matthew 13:55. The epistle resem- 
bles that of Second Peter in many ways. In 
the Muratorian Fragment we find it included 
in the famous eighty-five lines. It was proba- 
bly written in A. D. 67 or 68, and addressed to 
Christians everywhere. It is about one ordi- 
nary chapter in length, and divided into 
twenty-five verses. 

FIRST JOHN. 

Another catholic or general epistle, ad- 
dressed to believers in general, especially to 
Gentiles and residents in Asia Minor, among 
whom John had earnestly laboured. The 
author was John the Apostle, who was an eye 
witness to the person, life, and labours of our 
Lord. The letter is supposed to have been 

157 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



written in Ephesus. Ewald claims that it 
was composed in the year 90, while Ramsay 
places the time some years later, 95-100. It 
consists of only five chapters, but is earnestly 
and strongly written, assuring his readers 
that he is writing of things "known from the 
beginning, which we have heard, which we 
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked 
upon, and our hands have handled, of the 
word of life." 

SECOND JOHN. 

Another epistle written probably at Ephesus 
towards the end ot the first century. A re- 
markably short letter, consisting of only thir- 
teen verses, addressed to "The elect lady and 
her children, whom I love in the truth." Much 
mental speculation is indulged or allowed here. 
The "lady" referred to is supposed to be 
" Electa' ' by Clement of Alexandria; also by 
Wetstein, Grotius, and Middleton. It is held 
by Jerome, Lightfoot, Luther, Ewald, and 
Marcus Dods that the expression signifies the 
church in general, and was simply one of 
John's symbolical and mystical utterances. 

THIRD JOHN. 

A very short epistle, consisting of 14 verses, 
written from Ephesus about A. D. 100. It is 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



addressed to Gaius, who seems to have been 
an eminent Christian, distinguished for his 
kindness to the saints. John refrains from 
writing a long letter, but longs to see his 
helpful friend face to face. This seems to have 
been in the nature of a private letter, but our 
early fathers could not refrain from writing of 
God and Christianity whenever an occasion was 
offered. Such zeal and devotion to the Cause 
were the jewels and crowning glory of the 
primitive Christians. 

For further information the student may 
consult : 

Weiss' "Commentaries," Gottingen, 1907, 
Von Soden, in "Holtzmann Series,' 1 Leipzig, 
1899, 

"Expositor's Bible", 1893, 

Charles Bigg, " International Critical Series, M 
New York, 1901, 

Moffatt's " Introduction to the Literature of 
The New Testament," 

J. B. Mayor's "Epistle of St. James," 
London, 1910. 



159 



CHAPTER XL 



St. Mark— St. Matthew 

TTENTION will be directed now to the 



1 * Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and 
Luke. After the Crucifixion churches had 
been established in many countries, bishops 
and evangelists had been appointed, and the 
rules for church government had been widely 
adopted. Seemingly there had been no effort 
or desire to write a history of Christ's appear- 
ance, deeds and teachings among men. Fail- 
ing to grasp or to interpret our Lord's dis- 
courses relative to his second coming, the 
disciples allowed themselves to be led into the 
belief that the time of His reappearance was 
near. Consequently, their daily actions and 
anticipations were subservient to that end. 
In their councils and religious assemblies this 
was the thought, the theme that over- 
shadowed every duty and every hope. For 
His coming through the clouds in great 
glory they daily and hourly watched, and 
held themselves in readiness to ascend with 
Him into heaven. Paul and Peter, Barnabas 
and Apollos, seeing that this error arrested 
their progress and Christian growth, en- 




160 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



deavored to persuade them of their mistaken 
and fruitless expectations. This, it will be 
remembered, was Paul's crowning subject in 
his letters to the Thessalonians, and by 
earnest instruction and persuasion he led the 
saints to abandon the disappointing hope. 

As the thought of the Master's immediate 
return lost ground the leading disciples began 
to realize the need of a permanent and trust- 
worthy record of our Saviour's life and works. 
Hitherto legend and tradition had supplied 
them with all the information they possessed. 
Poor and oppressed, they had no wealth of 
time and money to record the history of the 
New Dispensation, and they could rely only 
upon the memory of the older saints for all 
the facts. Looking back now over a mighty 
period of time, two thousand years that repose 
and sleep in the beautiful moonlight of memory 
and in the pages of sacred history, w r e can feel 
the thrill and charm of the Great Story as it 
was told to little groups of silent listeners by 
the saints who had seen the Saviour and 
heard His voice. For it was a beautiful and 
inspiring story, born in a lowly manger of 
Bethlehem and ending on the haunted fields 
of Golgotha. Yea, a sweet, sweet song, 
warbled in the topmost boughs of many a 

161 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



heart and filling us with such joyous gladness 
as the angels feel when they sing in the 
heavenly choir. Then it must not be lost in 
the changing vicissitudes and fortunes of 
time, but some generous and charitable soul, 
born with patience and blessed with knowl- 
edge, must be found to record this sacred 
history for the great multitudes to people 
the earth in the days to come. 

In the city of Jerusalem Mark's mother 
lived. Her name was Mary, a name blessed 
in the annals of the Jewish tribes. She was 
a widow, her husband dying in the early years 
of the Christian era. Her house was a 
pleasant meeting place for the saints in 
Jerusalem and for wandering, homeless pil- 
grims who sought a haven and place of 
refuge from strife and persecution. 

In the shelter of her protecting roof the 
Christians met and worshiped God as the 
Master had taught them in the past. When 
in Jerusalem, Peter came and made the 
generous widow's home his place of rest and 
continual abode, acting as a kind and friendly 
guardian to the children whose father had 
passed away. Tradition relates that in this 
Christian mother's house the Last Supper 
was solemnly served, and that behind its 

162 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



gates lay the Garden of Gethsemane where 
Christ, in grief and agony, prayed his immortal 
prayer. 

By common consent Mark was selected to 
write the gospel that bears his name. Accord- 
ing to Clement of Alexandria the gospel was 
composed at the special desire and request 
of the Roman converts, and met with the 
approval of the saints everywhere. The 
young writer had the gifts and the arts of 
composition, but wanted the blessings of a 
rabbinical training and the polish of classic 
learning. He was sometimes known as "John, 
whose surname was Mark." Again, he was 
called Marcus, in an endeavor to Romanize 
his name, as Paul had done. From the first 
he seems to have been active in everything 
pertaining to the welfare and glory of the New 
Church. He was a Levite, and an Alexandrian 
tradition says that he was of Cyrenian origin. 
It is claimed that he was one of the servants 
at Cana, Galilee, when the miracle there was 
performed. To Barnabas he was a kinsman; 
in fact, a cousin. He was, like Paul, "a 
Hebrew of Hebrews," and perhaps a Hellenist. 
He was present at the trial of Jesus, and after 
the Resurrection the poor, excited Christians 
gathered at his house to rejoice and to pray. 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



This "John Mark" was a companion of 
Paul and Barnabas on their missionary 
journey to Antioch and to Cypress, going with 
them as far as Perga in Pamphylia and then 
"departing from them, returned to Jerusalem/' 

The Gospel of St. Mark was written in 65 
or 66. It was not composed, as some contend, 
in Aramaic, but in Greek. He was a disciple 
of Peter, and from him Mark gathered the 
principal facts about Christ, as the apostle 
had sat at His feet and heard the Words of 
Life. Papias says that "Mark was the inter- 
preter of St. Peter." 

The integrity of Mark's Gospel has never 
been successfully assailed. The greatest 
writers, the learned fathers of the early 
church, are one in claiming for him the glory 
of its composition. What a wealth of testi- 
mony can be found here! Tertullian, Ireneus, 
Papias, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexan- 
dria, Eusebius, Epiphanius and Jerome pro- 
claim their fullest convictions that Mark and 
Mark alone was the writer. 

The glory of martyrdom has sometimes 
been claimed for Mark. Evidences, however, 
seem to be lacking to support the belief. It 
is true that Hippolytus says he was burned 
at the stake, and that Symeon Metaphrastes 

164 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



claims he was dragged over rocks till life was 
extinct; but that he died, in the eighth year 
of Nero's reign, a calm and peaceful death, is 
the belief of Jerome, Eusebius, and Isedore 
of Seville. His tomb appears to have been 
marked and venerated at Alexandria, and a 
traditional belief in Venice during the Middle 
Ages that his remains had been transferred 
there in the ninth century was quite extant and 
vigorously supported by Canon Molini. The 
Venetians prided themselves on possessing 
not only the body of St. Mark but also the 
autograph copy of his Gospel. There seems to 
be no trustworthy evidence, from any source, 
to establish so preposterous a claim. 
Consult : 

Du Buisson's "Origin of the Gospel of St. 
Mark," Oxford, 1896, 

Burton's "Studies in the Gospel According 
to St. Mark," 1904, 

Burkitts' "The Gospel History and its 
Transmission," Edinburgh, 1907, 

Broadus' Commentaries, 1881. 

ST. MATTHEW. 

The name Matthew is derived from the 
Hebrew Mattija, and was afterwards shortened 
into Mattai. Contrary to the opinion of 
Julius Africanus we are convinced that Mat- 

165 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



thew was a Jew, and a man of some power 
and influence. According to Clement of 
Alexandria he was a vegetarian, and was 
governed by the strictest rules of health and 
conduct. He was known also by the name 
of Levi, in accordance with an ancient custom 
among the Jewish people of having two names 
for the same person. Doubtless he was the 
son of Alpheus, but the history here is a little 
obscure, as much of our information at that 
time comes from oral tradition. It is said 
that he was a publican, the term signifying 
among the Romans "a farmer of the taxes and 
public revenues/ 9 generally speaking, a col- 
lector of taxes and customs due. He was an 
officer and political servant of Antipas, the 
reigning son of Herod the Great, who sought 
the life of Jesus when He was a child. The 
first notice we have of him is recorded in the 
Gospel of Mark, who testifies that a great 
multitude, amazed at the miracles of Christ, 
was following Him by the seaside. Levi, or 
Matthew, was sitting at the receipt of customs, 
near Capernaum, on the Great West Road 
from Damascus to the Mediterranean. It 
appears that the miracles and the teachings 
of the Master had created great wonder and 
the deepest interest in all the sections where 

166 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



His marvelous works were done, since 
Matthew heard his call, and followed Him 
immediately. It will be remembered that 
the poor fishermen of the sea also dropped 
their nets and straightway followed Christ 
at His bidding. How great must have been 
His pow r er over men! Evidences of His per- 
sonal and magnetic force were seen by the 
great army of men and women who followed 
Him daily, and were moved by the wisdom of 
His teachings. 

Matthew was one of the twelve disciples. 
From the hour when he abandoned the service 
of Herod and followed Jesus he was ever and 
always at His side, and ready to obey. It is 
reasonable to suppose that he was at the 
trial, the conviction of Christ, and witnessed 
the Crucifixion. He saw r Christ after the 
Resurrection, was near Him and heard Him 
speak. He followed Him to Bethany, listened 
to His last beautiful words of consolation and 
promise and saw Him depart and ascend into 
heaven. 

At what time Matthew began to preach we 
are not advised. He began to labour first 
among his own people, his kinsmen in the 
flesh. Legend and tradition are not always 
right, and legend and tradition are not always 

167 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



wrong. They often beautify and adorn facts, 
clothe them in alluring speech, and vest them 
with a charm which otherwise they could not 
command. Tradition states that Matthew, 
before leaving his converts for another field, 
wrote down the main facts of the gospel, 
together with his admonitions and instruc- 
tions, and left them to be read to the saints 
while he was absent. If this is true his gospel 
may have been written in a fragmentary 
manner, and afterwards gathered together 
into an intelligent whole. 

It has been claimed with considerable 
energy that Matthew was the author of the 
"Logia." The Logia, in its ancient signifi- 
cance, was translated the "Oracular Sayings 
of Christ. " It was perhaps the earlist of all 
our uncollected New Testament writings. It 
appears that no one person was the author of 
these "Sayings," but that many writers, 
hearing the instructions and sermons of Christ, 
studiously committed them to the papyrus 
roll to preserve them against loss. A short 
history of the Logia may be of interest here. 
In 1897 B. P. Grenfell and A. S. Hunt, 
laboring for the Egyptian Exploration Fund, 
found in the ruins of the old Greek city 
Oxyrhynchus, 120 miles south of Cairo, a 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



mass of papyri containing many precious 
manuscripts of ancient times. In this collec- 
tion were several fragments of the Logia, with 
which our Christian fathers were singularly 
familiar. The first fragment was a papyrus 
leaf measuring 5^ x 3^ inches. After this 
twenty-four pages were found having forty- 
two lines to the page. There was no way to 
determine how many leaves were missing, as 
the sheets were broken at the bottom, and were 
in a bad state of preservation, bearing evidences 
of great age. They were all replete with ' 'Say- 
ings/ ' every paragraph beginning with "Jesus 
says." It appears that these "Oracles" were 
widely read and circulated among the early 
Christians. Papias declares that Matthew 
composed them in the Hebrew (Aramaic) 
tongue, and that "all interpreted them as 
they were able." A few writers contend that 
they were excerpts from some uncanonical 
gospel. Harnack has somewhere said that 
they were taken from "The Gospel According 
to the Egyptians/ ' Irrespective of the veil 
that clouds their origin, these "Sayings of 
Jesus' 9 have moulded the literature of the 
several Gospels in no uncertain way. They 
were eventually embodied in all the canonical 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Gospels, and in this manner ceased to exist as 
a special work of sacred writings. 

Matthew's Gospel is anonymous. We do 
not know where it was written, nor under 
what conditions. He preached in Ethiopia, 
south of the Caspian Sea, in Persia, in Mace- 
donia, and in Syria. In point of learning he 
was equal to most men of his time. He 
could speak and write both Hebrew and Greek, 
and his Gospel was more universally read 
than any other Christian document. He 
followed, so to speak, in the literary footsteps 
of Mark. In his chain of parables and in his 
presentation of Christian thought and senti- 
ment he adopts the Marcan style, but treats 
his subjects probably in a broader and clearer 
manner. 

Scholars are divided relative to the time in 
which Matthew's Gospel was written and read 
in the churches. Zahn has calculated the 
time to be 61-66 A. D.; Godet 60-66; Keim, 
Meyer, Holtzmann, and Maclean agree on the 
year 70; Bartlett, 68-69; Allen and Plummer, 
65-75. In the Chronicles of Eusebius the 
time is calculated to be eight years after 
Christ's ascension, and which is in harmony 
with the views of Theophylact and Zigabenus. 

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In the history of the Christian church 
Matthew is accorded the highest honors in 
the records of its glorious saints. His was an 
earnest, clean life, devoted to the teachings of 
the Master, whose voice he had heard w r hile 
in the service of the Herodian throne. His 
faith never wavered, fear never chained his 
tongue. About him tradition is beautiful, 
inspiring, immortal, and rich. He is com- 
memorated as a martyr by the Greek church 
on November 16th, and by the Roman on 
September 21st; the place of his martyrdom 
is declared by the Breviary to be in Ethiopia. 
The same authority states that his body was 
translated to Salerno where it now lies in the 
church erected by Robert Guiscard. 

Consult: 

Robinson's "Study of The Gospels, " Lon- 
don, 1703, 

"Commentaries" of Morrison, London, 1895, 
"Commentaries" of Plummer, New York, 
1909, 

Bruce, in Expositor's Greek Testament, 
Sanday's "Studies in Synoptic Problems/ 9 
Oxford, 1911. 



171 



CHAPTER XII. 

St. Luke — St. John 

' I "HE gift of eloquence, the power to sway 
A the listening multitude and to move men 
and women to heroic action, is no mean 
acquirement, but one of which it is lawful to 
be proud. None the less is the art of writing, 
that God-given wealth of grace and genius 
that charms youth and age, the king on his 
throne, and the peasant in his cottage. Elo- 
quence ceases when the tuneful tongue lies 
down in its endless sleep, but the written 
story has the sweep of the ages. On its 
silent wings we are borne to distant fields of 
action, even when the world was young. 
With Israel's wandering children we can cross 
the Red Sea, and behold the still waters that 
stood as heaven's guard; we can travel the 
desert with the Wise Men that followed the 
guiding star; we can see the Child in the 
manger; we can weep at the Crucifixion; we 
can rejoice at the Resurrection! 

No writer of the early Christian era was 
blessed with the gifts of composition more than 
St. Luke. He was a man of many parts. 
Jerome declares him to have been the one 

172 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



literary genius of all the sacred writers. Paul 
called him "The beloved physician/ ' He 
was the "brother whose praise is in the gospel 
throughout all the churches/ 9 He was a 
friend to the poor, the afflicted, the helpless, 
and the heavy laden. He was studious, 
diligent for the truth, and masterful in his 
delineations. 

Of St. Luke's private and early life we are 
not well advised. He was a Gentile by birth. 
It has been claimed that he was a brother to 
Titus, but the claim lacks confirmation. The 
name is a contraction of the name Lucanus, 
as Silas was of Silvanus. Tradition declares 
him a proselyte, and to have been a native of 
Antioch, but both are shadowed in doubt. He 
was alone, having neither wife nor children. 
In the New Testament his name is mentioned 
only three times, Colossians 4-14; Philemon 
24; and Timothy 4-11. He is said to have 
been the son of a Greek freedman, trained in 
classic literature, and in the complications 
and mysteries of the law. 

Luke was a companion of St. Paul. He is 
supposed to have joined the great Apostle at 
Troas in the year 50, and to have been with 
him in many scenes of his wonderful career. 
He was with him in Philippi, in Rome, and 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



in Jerusalem. We have the testimony of 
Eusebius to the claim that Luke was not only 
a companion and helper of Paul, but of all the 
worthy apostles who laboured in the vineyard 
of the Master. Epiphanius states that he 
was one of the seventy, but this is inconsistent 
with Tertullian and the Muratorian fragment. 
That he was a preacher of the Gospel in 
Achaia, Dalmatia, Gaul, Italy, and Mace- 
donia is asserted by Ecumenius and Gregory 
of Nazianzus. A late tradition represents 
St. Luke to have been a painter as well as a 
physician. It is stated that the Empress 
Eudocia sent to Pulcheria, from Jerusalem to 
Constantinople, a picture of the Virgin Mary 
painted by St. Luke. In the Catholic ency- 
clopedias this imaginary painting is recorded 
as one of the treasures of the Roman church. 
Many of these interesting stories are legendary, 
thrown upon the screen of imagination to 
charm our thoughts, our dreams of a past and 
distant age. 

We are not sure that St. Luke's letter was, 
in any wise, intended to embody what we call 
a Gospel. He wrote simply to his friend 
Theophilus, in whom he seems to have had a 
special and abiding interest. Theophilus, it 
appears, was not a Christian, yet a faithful 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



account of the Nazarene, and the wonderful 
things He did, might be of much interest, 
coming from the pen of one who "had perfect 
understanding of all things from the first." 
Yea, it was wonderfully interesting! Never, 
since the light shone upon the Garden of Eden 
had any story, woven in the loom of life, so 
sweetly charmed the minds and souls of men. 
He entered upon the beauties of his subject 
at once. We hear the angels announce the 
coming of the Holy Child. We see the shepherd 
lean upon his staff and, standing entranced, 
behold the star that drove the mists of 
heathen darkness from the world. We follow 
the record through fields of golden sunshine, 
and again in vales where sombre shadows are 
deep and the voice of hope is still. We see 
the courts of Herod, of Pontius Pilate, the 
throne of the Cesars, and the Cross. We 
see the tomb and the great stone that defies 
our strength. We look again and the voice 
of an angel declares the Resurrection of Him 
who slept. O Theophilus, read and under- 
stand ! 

Sacred writers again are divided relative to 
the time in which Luke's epistle was written, 
and the place from which it was sent. Blass 
somewhere contends that Luke issued two 

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editions of his Gospel — his meaning about two 
"editions" being singularly obscure — one for 
Rome and one for Palestine. The sources of 
his information are to us wholly unknown, 
hence we cannot intelligently criticise his 
seemingly unwarranted statement. From the 
conjectures of more than a score of writers we 
may conclude that the Gospel was written 
about the year 60, and by no calculation could 
the time be later than 70. Keim and Holtz- 
mann contend that it was written in Rome; 
Michaelis, Thiersch, and Blass say Cesarea; 
Hilgenfeld is convinced that some city in 
Asia Minor was the place of its composition. 
Weiss makes a sweeping statement and boldly 
declares that, "All conjectures as to the place 
in which it was composed are visionary, and 
have no value whatever/ ' 

Here may we say again that it argues nothing 
against the Christian religion if our knowledge 
is at fault relative to time and place. We do 
not know where Homer lived, nor the time in 
which he composed his immortal Iliad. The 
Pyramids of Egypt reveal nothing that will 
lift the veil of mystery that clothes their 
origin in a cloud impenetrable and dark. We 
know not the month nor the year when the 
Ark opened its windows upon Mount Ararat 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



and the dove went forth and brought the olive 
leaf to Noah, and the great flood was assuaged. 
But we know, like Renan, that the Gospel of 
Luke came from a beautiful soul, glowing and 
nurtured in the sunshine of heaven, an inspi- 
ration and a blessing to all mankind. 
Authorities: 

MacLaren's "Commentaries" New York, 
1894, 

W. F. Adeney's "Commentaries" Oxford, 
1901, 

HolcomVs "Gospel Difficulties " New York, 
1907, 

Benard's "Songs of the Holy Nativity" 
London, 1895, 

Blass 1 "Philology of the Gospels" London, 
1898, 

Ramsay's "Was Christ Born in Bethlehem?" 
New York, 1898. 

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 
The Acts is the fifth book in the English 
canon. By universal consent St. Luke is 
regarded as the author. The preface, so to 
speak, implies the Lucan authorship and, we 
believe, admits of no other reasonable con- 
clusion. Observe how beautifully he opens 
his letter: "The former treatise have I made, 
O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to 
do and teach/ 9 By "former treatise" he 

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clearly means the Gospel which we have just 
considered, as it, too, was addressed to the 
same person. St. Luke writes this treatise, 
or history, seemingly as additional evidence to 
convince his friend Theophilus of the mighty 
facts which he knew concerning the religion 
of Christ, and the wonderful things which were 
done in justification and defense of the Cause 
so relentlessly assailed. The letter was 
written after the destruction of Jerusalem, 
and, we believe, during Paul's first imprison- 
ment. Blass, the famous classicist of 
Germany, claims that Luke issued two 
"editions" of Acts, as he had also done of the 
Gospel, and that both were written in Rome. 
Harnack and Leclerc, the latter a Dutch 
philologist, have subscribed to this opinion, 
and both have written quite learnedly in 
defense of it. 

The Acts consists of Luke's own notes, 
supplemented by memory and the help which 
other apostles and evangelists gave him from 
time to time. He traveled, as we have 
stated, with Paul in Cesarea, Melita, and to 
Rome where he met Peter. Mark was with 
him in Rome also. While in Cesarea Luke 
stayed with Philip, the evangelist, and in 
Jerusalem he met James and the leading 

178 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



elders. Mark supplied him with much valu- 
able information concerning things that 
occurred in Jerusalem, and of which he made 
frequent use. Hence, we can readily see that 
his resources were many and ample for the 
great work which he so well accomplished. 

Really the Acts is the first authentic history 
which we have of the early church. It is an 
interesting and noble contribution to the 
sacred literature of the New Testament, 
authentic, voluminous, and beautifully 
written. Luke's writings — his Gospel and the 
Acts — are about as long as Paul's entire 
thirteen epistles, and as much as Matthew 
and Mark combined. Professor Ramsay 
claims that Luke was a great and accurate 
historian, "a painter of words," vivid and 
inspiring in his description of momentous 
events, and a great Christian. 

It is said that he died in Bithynia at the age 
of 74 years. Two traditions treat of his 
death — one that he died naturally and peace- 
fully, the other that he suffered martyrdom 
under the reign of Domitian. It is an old 
tradition that his remains were carried from 
Achaia to Constantinople and buried there in 
the twentieth year of the reign of Constantius. 
Another story has been found, stating that 

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Luke's remains were discovered while digging 
the foundations of a new church, and that 
the sacred dust was removed to Italy for final 
interment. Much of this, we fear, is simply 
untrustworthy legend, and merits no serious 
consideration. 

The authorities consulted here are practically 
the same as those used in the study of St. 
Luke. 

ST. JOHN. 
John, the author of the fourth Gospel, was 
the son of Zebedee. His mother, Salome, 
was a sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus, 
hence by the ties of blood he was very near the 
Master. Like his father and his brother he 
was a Galilean fisherman. Through his father 
he was probably related to Annas, the high 
priest, and the family seems to have enjoyed 
some wealth and an enviable social standing 
in Capernaum and in Bethsaida, the village 
of his birth, on the shore of the lake of Galilee. 
It is perhaps needless to say that he was a 
Palestinian Jew, and down to the hour of his 
conversion to Christ was wholly satisfied with 
the ancient faith of his fathers. His mother, 
Salome, seems to have been a great Christian. 
Often she was found with Jesus, aiding him 
in every possible way, and begged that her 

180 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



children might become great in the Kingdom of 
Heaven. With Him she went to Jerusalem, 
and was near Him when the days of sorrow 
came; doubtless was at the Crucifixion, for 
she assisted in the burial when He was taken 
down from the Cross. From such a mother 
it was easy for a son to inherit a soul touched 
with love and a divine inspiration. 

John and his brother James were men of 
fiery zeal. Christ, recognizing their energy 
and fearless devotion to the Faith, called 
them "Boanerges/ ' meaning "Sons of Thun- 
der/ 9 See how quickly they forsook their 
nets, threw themselves at once into the great 
battle for righteousness, and became "fishers 
of men \" John speedily took his place among 
the twelve Apostles, and became a member of 
the special inner circle to which Peter belonged 
and soon found special favour with the 
Master. He w T as the best beloved of the 
disciples, and willing to share the trials and 
the sorrows of the Saviour to merit an exalted 
place in the Celestial Kingdom. In his bosom 
was no hypocrisy, no deceit. Impatient of 
evil and unwarranted persecution, he would 
call down the fires of heaven upon a wicked 
Samaritan city that refused shelter and pro- 
tection to the helpless saints. 

181 



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John was almost continuously with Christ. 
He witnessed many notable miracles; was 
present when J aims' daughter was raised from 
the dead. He witnessed the transfiguration; 
was near the Lord during His agony in the 
Garden of Gethsemane, and helped to lay His 
body in Joseph's tomb. In the latter years 
of his life John lived in Ephesus. There, 
according to Ireneus, he wrote his Gospel in 
his old age. We do not know in what year 
he composed it. Tertullian and Clement of 
Alexandria claim that it was written in A. D. 
70 or 80. Ireneus claims a later date, 
probably in the early part of the reign of 
Trajan. That he was the sole author is the 
testimony of Dr. Sanday, of Oxford Univer- 
sity; Bishop Lightfoot, Archdeacon Watkins, 
Bishop Westcott, and Professor Drummond. 

In point of literary style, in grace and 
diction John's writings differ from the other 
Apostles' in many ways. He wrote in symbols 
and allegories, sometimes difficult to under- 
stand, but always rich in meaning. He 
doubtless adopted this method from his close 
association with the Master, Who so often 
addressed His disciples in this way. His 
letter is clearly to the churches which he 
evangelized. He addressed the saints as 

182 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



"little children," "my beloved, " and "my 
brethren." "To find John's Gospel beautiful 
and true," said Abbe Loisy, "we need but to 
take it as it is, and understand." 

We will now direct attention to St. John's 
great and notable work, the Revelation, 
sometimes known as the Apocalypse. The 
reign of Domitian was the darkest period 
recorded in Roman history. He w r as an evil 
genius that vexed the people and the age in 
which his presence cursed the earth. Accord- 
ing to Suetonius he was brought up in squalor 
and ignorance, and led a degraded, indecent, 
and miserable youth. A tyrant from his 
cradle, he persecuted the Christians relent- 
lessly, unmercifully. Innocence, affliction, 
and helpless age found no hope or charity 
about his throne, but all alike fell down at his 
feet, imploring protection and mercy in vain. 
St. John was a special subject of his hatred. 
He could not bridle his tongue or cause his 
flaming zeal for Christ to smolder down and 
die; the fear of the sword and the headsman's 
ax had no terrors for him who had seen and 
loved the Lord. To the Isle of Patmos, then, 
Domitian banished John in his old age. Patmos 
is a little island in the ^Egean Sea, ten miles 
in length and six in width. From its tortured 

183 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



bosom the earth has thrown it up, in the 
thunders of volcanic fires, to become a rocky 
throne in that restless waste of waters. In 
the olden days roving pirates gathered there 
to count their pilfered gains, little heeding the 
few inhabitants who followed the varying 
fortunes of the sea, and lived in daily fear. 
Here, reasoned the cruel Domitian, John 
would cease to trouble, and by the enfeebling 
weight of his five and ninety years fall into a 
harmless, endless sleep. For one who had 
led a busy life, as St. John had since early 
youth, this confinement on Patmos' rocky 
shores was hard indeed. To sit alone in some 
secluded spot, to wonder what the wild waves 
were always saying to the voiceless cliffs; to 
think, to live again, in memory's dream, the 
old life in Rome and Galilee, these were the 
things that made his musings sweet and sad, 
the lights and shadows of his daily life. 
Down among the great rocks, where the winds 
murmur of the sea's dark and mighty deeds 
of storm and death, the old Apostle found a 
cave, or grotto, in which many a lonely hour 
was passed away. It was a small retreat, a 
quiet place where the twilight and the shadows 
gathered soon ; a place where roving, wandering 
spirits might come to dream, to rest, and to 

184 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



pray. Hear him now as he records the angel's 
visit there, and to which heaven bears eternal 
witness: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's 
day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of 
a trumpet, saying, 'I am Alpha and Omega, the 
first and the last. . . /What thou seest, write in 
a book, and send it to the seven churches in 
Asia/ ... I turned to see the voice that spoke 
with me . . . and saw one like unto the Son of 
Man, clothed with a garment down to the 
foot and girt with a golden girdle. His head 
and his hairs were white like wool, as white 
as snow; his eyes were as a flame of fire, his 
voice as the sound of many waters. And when 
I saw him I fell at his feet as dead. And he 
laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, 
Fear not, I am the first and the last. Write 
the things which thou hast seen, and the 
things which are, and the things which shall 
be hereafter/ ' 

Our space and purpose here forbid a record 
of the vision which the angel gave. All the 
Christian world has heard and read and knows 
what a wonderful vision, what a weird dream 
and prophecy, fell from the pen of St. John 
on that cheerless island of the ^Egean Sea. 
"What a grand and mighty picture/ ' says 
John Milton, "is this sacred book of Revela- 

185 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



tion. It is the majestic image of a high and 
stately tragedy, shutting up and interming- 
ling her solemn scenes and acts with a seven- 
fold chorus of hallelujahs and harping sym- 
phonies." 

John was released from his confinement in 
Patmos by the Emperor Nerva, who suc- 
ceeded the terrible Domitian on the Roman 
throne. He lived to the time of Trajan and 
died in Ephesus. Ireneus states that Poly- 
carp knew St. John, and had many things to 
relate concerning his mental power and Chris- 
tian zeal. The claim, however, is wanting in 
convincing evidence. The cave, or grotto, in 
which John saw the vision, is preserved in 
Patmos to this day. It is reached through a 
small chapel dedicated to St. Anne. In the 
library of a monastery, dedicated to the 
memory of the Apostle, there is a Greek manu- 
script containing a curious history of St. John, 
purporting to be by Prochurus, who was one 
of his disciples. Its literary style and phrase- 
ology indicate that it was composed in the 
fourth century, and should therefore be 
accepted with extreme caution. 

Authorities consulted: 

A lexander's 4 1 Commentaries, 1 9 New York, 
1881, 

186 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Plummets 1 ' Commentaries, 1 9 Cambridge, 
1886, 

Luthart's "St. John, Author of the Fourth 
Gospel," 

' Commentaries 1 ' of: Meier, Weiss, Godet, 
Stevens, Zahn, and Westcott. 



187 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Ancient Manuscripts 

TN the foregoing chapters we have endeav- 
A ored to acquaint the reader with the age 
in which the various parts of the New Testa- 
ment were written, the attendant circum- 
stances, and the causes that produced this 
wealth of sacred literature. We have re- 
viewed the educational, political, and religious 
conditions that moulded the thoughts of 
men when Christ came and arrested the 
rush of worldly events. Without a passing 
knowledge of these mighty environments and 
prevailing conditions — forces that wielded an 
immeasurable influence in all the avenues of 
life — it is impossible to grasp the full meaning 
of the great work which our fathers did in the 
early centuries of the Christian era. We 
have spoken of the materials used in writing 
the Gospels and the various epistles that 
complete the chain of our Great Classic. It 
now remains to find what disposition has been 
made of the old manuscripts, the papyrus 
rolls and codices, that originally contained 
these inspired writings of the patriarchs and 
apostles. 

188 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



The autographs of the New Testament very 
early disappeared, owing to the enforced use 
of perishable papyrus and the inferior inks 
employed. The few that have been preserved 
were never used. They have been found in 
sarcophagi, buried in the ruins of ancient 
cities like Pompeii and Herculaneum, but 
none of very great importance have been 
discovered down to the present time. Hence 
it is easy to see that the manuscripts which we 
now possess are copies of the originals, but 
the copying has been carefully done. In 
Palestine, Syria, Ethiopia, and Armenia the 
profession of a copyist was held in high esteem. 
Many spent a lifetime at this work. Eman- 
uel, of the monastery of Gartamin on the 
Tigris, copied, with his own hand, seventy 
manuscripts. This copying w r as sometimes 
done by free workmen and sometimes by 
slaves. Athens, which was before Alexandria 
a great library centre, had a school of copy- 
ists, and sometimes the librarians engaged 
in this work. At Rome Pomponius Aticus 
thought seriously of competing with book- 
sellers by training Greek slaves to copy manu- 
scripts. Every great library had spaces set 
apart for this work. Not only did this main- 
tain in the principal cities, but men — pro- 

189 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



fessional copyists — wandered through the 
villages and country districts proposing to 
write Bibles, or parts of the New Testament, 
for any who were able to employ their ser- 
vices. These early manuscripts were all 
uncials, that is, the letters were capitals, with 
no separations, no "breathings/ 1 accents, or 
distinctive initial letters, and with few points 
of punctuation. It can be stated with much 
satisfaction and authority that all copying 
was carefully and faithfully done, every manu- 
script being examined by supervisors, who 
thoroughly understood all details connected 
with the tedious work. Out of nearly four 
thousand manuscripts, catalogued and scat- 
tered over Europe, only about thirty contain 
all the books of the Bible, the others being 
fragmentary, faded, and worn by constant 
handling in such a manner as to render them 
almost useless. 

As we will have to frequently refer to the 
labours of Friedrick Von Tischendorf it may 
be necessary to acquaint the reader with the 
leading facts in his life. He was the son of a 
physician, and born at Lengenfeld, in the 
Saxon Vogtland, in 1815. From a youth he 
took special interest in New Testament criti- 
cism. He was master of a school near Leipzig, 

190 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



and carried the degree of a Doctor of Philoso- 
phy in that institution. From October, 1840, 
to January, 1843, he was in Paris, busy with 
the treasures of the great library there, in 
searching for facts relative to Bible manu- 
scripts. He then went to Holland, England, 
Italy, Egypt, Sinai, Palestine, and the Levant; 
returning by Vienna and Munich. He found 
many valuable manuscripts, the most of them 
fragmentary, but they threw a marvelous 
light upon the writings of the apostles and 
fathers of the early church. He died in 
Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony, 1874. 

We will now describe, as accurately and as 
intelligently as we can, a few of the valuable 
manuscripts — codices as they are now called — 
from which the New Testament, and much 
of our other sacred literature, have been 
translated. 

Codex Sinaiticus. 

Found by Tischendorf in 1844, in the Con- 
vent of St. Catherine, at the foot of Mount 
Sinai. It is now in St. Petersburg, Russia, 
and is in an excellent state of preservation. 
Forty-three leaves of the Old Testament por- 
tion of the manuscript, known as the Fride- 
rico-Augustanus, are now in the library of 

191 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Leipsic University. Besides twenty-six books 
of the Old Testament, of which five form the 
Codex Friderico-Augustanus, the manuscript 
contains the entire New Testament without 
the least break, also the Epistle of Barnabas, 
and the first third of the "Shepherd of Her- 
nias." The Alexandrian copyist has shown 
his imperfect knowledge of Greek, and parts 
of the Codex are not, chirographically speak- 
ing, well written. However, the superiority 
of the Codex Sinaiticus, to all other New 
Testament manuscripts, is fully established 
by the numerous places in which its readings 
have the support of the oldest quotations, 
and the most ancient versions. The text is 
in four columns, which gives it distinction, 
and is a unique arrangement. The Pauline 
Epistles, among which is Hebrews after 2d 
Thessalonians, came directly after the Gospels, 
then the Acts and Catholic Epistles, and 
close with the Apocalypse. The date of the 
manuscript is understood to be the fourth 
century. Owing to the corrections which it 
received in the sixth and seventh centuries 
it has a special value in that its pages represent 
the history of the changes in the New Testa- 
ment text. This Codex was published in 
1862, in facsimile type, from the Leipsic press, 

192 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



in four folio volumes, at the expense of the 
Emperor of Russia, Alexandria II. The edi- 
tion was limited to 300 copies. The New 
Testament part was published separately in 
a critical edition by Tischendorf in 1863. The 
lettering in this Codex is in black ink, and 
very heavily done. 

Codex Alexandrinus. 

This manuscript is now a valuable treasure 
in the British Museum, London. It was 
presented, in 1628, to Charles I by Cyril 
Lucar, patriarch of Constantinople. In this 
Codex the New Testament begins with Mat- 
thew XXV-6, and contains the whole except 
John VI-50 and VIII-52, 2d Corinthians 
IV- 13 and XI I -6, with also the first Epistle 
of Clement and part of the second. It was 
printed by Woide of London in facsimile type 
in 1786, and by Cowper in 1860, who corrected 
many of Woide's mistakes, and in photo- 
graphic facsimile by the trustees of the British 
Museum. It is in four volumes and is well 
preserved. Tischendorf considers the date of 
the manuscript to be about the middle of the 
fifth century, and Scrivener about the end of 
the fourth, or possibly later. It was claimed 
by Lucar that this Codex was written by a 

193 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



woman, belonging to a noble family of Egypt, 
and known as Lady Thecla. It is a beautiful 
specimen of penmanship, very regular, and 
the letters neatly made. It has 773 leaves, 
with two columns each, size 10*^ by 12^ 
inches. 

Codex Bezce. 

This manuscript bears evidences of having 
been written in the fifth century. It was at 
one time in the monastery of St. Ireneus in 
Lyons, but it is now in the University of 
Cambridge, a gift, in 1581, from Theodore 
Beza, hence the name. It contains the Greek 
and also the Latin text of the Gospels, Acts, 
and John III, 11-15. It is a stichometrical 
composition, that is, having the measure and 
accents of a poem, and is supposed to have 
been written in Gaul. It was edited by 
Kipling in 1 793 , and by Scrivener in 1 864. The 
artistic beauty of the Codex has been marred 
by a great number of interpolations, much more 
than any other catalogued manuscript. It 
is not known — perhaps never will be known — 
who added these words and sentences, or by 
whose authority it was done. It was written 
in one column to the page, Greek on the left 
hand, and Latin on the right. 

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THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Codex Rossanensis. 
Sometimes the scribes and copyists, who 
wrote Bibles prior to the fifteenth century, 
took special pride in producing beautiful 
manuscripts which have become known as 
splendid works of art. When the writer had 
time and inclination he or she frequently 
spent many years in writing the New Testa- 
ment for people, or institutions of wealth, 
who demanded a work in harmony with their 
other luxuriant surroundings. Such a work 
is the Codex Rossanensis. It belongs to the 
chapter of the Cathedral Church of Rossano, 
containing part of Matthew, and Mark XVI- 
14. It belongs to the sixth century. It is 
written on very fine purple vellum in silver 
letters, with the three first lines in both 
columns, at the beginning of each Gospel, 
in gold. It is adorned with eighteen remark- 
able pictures in water colors representing 
scenes in gospel history, with forty figures of 
the prophets of the Old Testament. Its 
miniatures bear a striking resemblance to 
those of the old Vienna purple manuscript of 
Genesis. It numbers 188 leaves, some of 
which have been much injured by dampness. 
It originally contained the entire four Gospels. 
The text, as well as the writing, resembles 

195 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



that of the Codex Purpureas. It was dis- 
covered in the spring of 1879 at Rossano, in 
Calabria, Southern Italy, by Dr. Gebhardt of 
Gottingen and Professor Harnack of Giessen, 
who have published a full description of it, 
with two facsimiles of the writing, and out- 
line sketches of the miniatures, in an elegant 
quarto edition. The illuminations were repro- 
duced in exact facsimile by Antonio Munoz, 
Rome, 1907. The text seems to hold a posi- 
tion midway between that of the older uncials 
and those of the ninth and tenth centuries. 

Codex Ephraemi. 

This manuscript is now in the National 
Library of Paris. It is a product of the fifth 
century. The text was altered in the sixth 
century, and again in the ninth. It is a 
palimpsest, which, the reader will remember, 
is a manuscript which had formerly contained 
other written matter. This writing was re- 
moved by an application of Giobertine tinc- 
ture (prussiate of potash) in the twelfth cen- 
tury, and a Greek text of Ephraem Syrus 
recorded in its stead. Pierre Allix noticed 
traces of the former writing, and by careful 
work restored it again. In 1716 Wetstein 
collated the New Testament part, so far as it 

196 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



was legible. The manuscript contains sixty- 
four leaves of the Old Testament and five- 
eighths of the New. This Codex is an uncial 
palimpsest. It was copied from a very small 
manuscript, and at one time belonged to 
Catherine Medici of Florence, Italy. 

Codex Purpureus. 

This was originally a beautiful manuscript 
of the Gospels, and written about the sixth 
century. Forty-five leaves were early known. 
Of this number thirty-three are now in the 
monastery of St. John in Patmos; six in the 
Vatican at Rome; four in the British Museum; 
and two in the Imperial Library in Vienna. 
Eighty-four more leaves were discovered in a 
village near Cesarea, in Cappadocia, and 
bought by M. Nelidow, Russian ambassador 
at Constantinople. The Vienna, London, and 
Vatican leaves were edited by Tischendorf in 
1846, who used the leaves also from Patmos 
in his Novum Testamentum. 

Codex Laudianus. 

The Laudianus manuscript is now in the 
Bodleian Library at Oxford, England. It took 
its name from Archbishop Laud, who pre- 

197 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



sented it to the library in 1636. Where it 
was first written, when, and by whom we 
possess no accurate knowledge. It was first 
brought to England in 668. It contains an 
almost complete copy of Acts in Greco-Latin 
text. Bede used it when writing his "Ex- 
positio Retractata" of The Acts of The Apos- 
tles. The manuscript is elegantly written, 
and well preserved. It was edited in 1715 by 
Hearne, and by Tischendorf in 1870. 

Codex Angiensis. 
This manuscript contains the Pauline Epis- 
tles in both Greek and Latin. Hebrews is 
only in Latin, and it is a faulty translation, 
containing many errors. It was probably 
written in the ninth century. Richard Bently 
bought it in Heidelberg, Germany, and his 
nephew presented it to Trinity College, Cam- 
bridge. The text is clear, and it is otherwise 
well written. It was collated by Tischendorf 
in 1842, by Tragelles in 1845, and by Scrivener 
in 1859. 

Codex Vaticanus, number 1209. 
Now in the Vatican Library, Rome. The 
manuscript contains, besides the Old Testa- 
ment, the entire New Testament with the 
exception of Hebrews IX-14 to the end, 

198 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



2d Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Revela- 
tion. The first collation of the manuscript 
was made in 1669 by Portolocci, the librarian 
of the Vatican. Another was made by Birch 
in 1788. The collation made for Bently, by 
an Italian named Mico, was published by 
Ford in 1790. Hugg wrote a learned com- 
mentary on it in Freiberg in 1810. At that 
time the manuscript was in Paris, but it was 
afterwards restored to Rome, where it became 
practically inaccessible. An inaccurate and 
almost worthless edition of it was issued by 
Cardinal Mai in five volumes, Rome, 1828. 
Vercellone, Cozza, and Sergio published an 
edition of the entire Codex in six volumes in 
1868, and a photographic reproduction was 
published by the Vatican in 1889. The age 
of the manuscript is about that of the Sinaitic, 
that is, it was written in the fourth century. 
The text is written in three columns, and has 
forty- two lines to the column. The whole of 
the manuscript has been re-inked by two 
different scribes in an effort, we presume, to 
save if from the ravages of time. 

Consult: 

Kenyon's "Our Bible and the Ancient 
Manuscripts," 1897, 

199 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



"Bible Manuscripts in the British Muse- 
um," 1901, 

Bond and Thompson's "Facsimiles of An- 
cient Manuscripts, 1873-1882, 

Hogarth's "Authority and Archaeology," 
1809. 



200 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Manuscripts — Continued 

\)S/'E are continuing the history of these 
Bible codices on the assumption that 
no reader or student will become weary of the 
knowledge which their history so abundantly 
imparts. They are the foundations upon which 
all our sacred literature was built. Without 
them we would have no last court of appeal, 
nothing to arrest the wild dreams of legend and 
tradition. Soon they will all perish. They are 
lying in the lap of time, in the deepening twi- 
light of the ages, the silent witnesses of a mem- 
orable and glorious past. Science and inven- 
tion have incessantly laboured to preserve them 
against the slow but destructive forces of decay. 
A few great libraries, among them the Vatican 
at Rome, have tried various methods to 
prevent them from falling apart, and to this 
end have pressed silk fiber into the body of the 
parchment. This is declared by some to be 
a success, and may, we hope, be adopted by 
all individuals and institutions having the 
manuscripts in charge. Let us proceed: 

201 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Codex Claromontanus. 
This manuscript contains the Pauline 
Epistles, including Hebrews. It was written 
in the second half of the sixth century. Beza 
found it hidden away in the monastery of 
Clermont, hence the name. It is now in the 
National Library of Paris. The manuscript 
contains the Greek and Latin text, stichomet- 
rically. At different times it has been "re- 
touched," and consequently exhibits two 
periods of the text. The Latin text represents 
the oldest version — -that of the second century. 
It was collated by Tragelles in 1849, and edited 
by Tischendorf in 1852 in facsimile. In 
translating Hebrews and the Pauline Epistles 
it is considered to be very valuable. 

Codex Boernerianus. 
Now in the Dresden Royal Library. It is 
a manuscript of the ninth century. It con- 
tains the Greek and Latin text. The Greek 
text agrees closely with the Codex Angiensis. 
It was edited by Matthaei in 1792, and collated 
by Tragelles. 

Codex Porphyrianus. 
This manuscript is a palimpsest, written on 
vellum or parchment, which had formerly 
contained other writing. It now contains 

202 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Acts, the Catholic and Pauline Epistles, and 
Revelation. The text of the Apocalypse is 
especially good. It was brought to St. Peters- 
burg by the Russian Bishop Porfiri, and 
edited by Tischendorf in 1865-9. It is in 
very good condition. 

Many fragments — valuable leaves or parts 
of manuscripts — have been found in various 
parts of Europe and Asia. This was due, in 
a large measure, to the barbarian invasion, 
which overran the Roman Empire in the fifth 
and sixth centuries. They were a people 
unschooled in sacred or secular literature, 
possessed with the demon of destruction that 
drove them to a pitiless annihilation of every 
thing unsuited to their immediate needs. 
Courts, churches, monasteries, and libraries 
were plundered without shame or restriction. 
The unfortunate inhabitants sought every 
means to save their treasures, not only for 
themselves but for the generations to come 
after them. Many manuscripts, precious to 
mankind, were hidden in secret archives, 
caves, and unfrequented places where the 
greedy pilferers were not likely to go. Hence, 
from time to time, many manuscripts have 
been found or discovered after they were 
supposed to be lost or destroyed. Literary 

203 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



treasures are many times lost by the care- 
lessness, indifference, or ignorance of the 
people into whose hands they fall. When 
Victor Hugo was banished to the Island of 
Guernsey he wrote many things to beguile the 
tedious hours. In after years fragments of his 
manuscripts, which would now be a fortune, 
were found in the section where he had lived, 
having been formed into kites and dresses for 
children's dolls. When Balzac, the great 
French author, passed away in 1850, his 
creditors vandalized his house, seized his 
furniture, his works of art, and the manu- 
scripts he left. In twelve hours after his death 
before his body was consigned to the tomb, a 
grocer's clerk was using his manuscripts to 
wrap cheese, butter and soap! So little does 
the world sometimes appreciate the children 
of genius! 

Some of the noted manuscripts of the Bible 
have, for some unknown cause, suffered merci- 
less dissection. One of these, known as "H3," 
was written in the sixth century. Its parts 
are widely scattered. It was supposed to 
contain the Pauline Epistles, and known as 
the edition of Euthalius. Forty-one leaves 
have been found. Twenty- two are in the 
National Library of Paris; eight in the Laura 

204 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Monastery on Mount Athos; two in the 
Synodal Library of Moscow — one in the 
Runjanzew Museum there; three in the 
Imperial Library of St. Petersburg; three in 
the Ecclesiastical Library of Kief, and two 
in the University Library of Turin. Strangely 
enough all of these leaves are in fine condition, 
and indicate the studious care with which 
they have been preserved. 

Another fragmentary manuscript, known 
as the Tischendorfianus, seems to have been 
written in the fifth or sixth century. The 
different parts were discovered by Tischendorf 
at some point in the east. The fragments 
were composed in the Georgian language. 
Seven leaves contain parts of Matthew; two 
leaves contain a section of Mark; five leaves 
of Luke; eight of John; four of Acts; two of 
the Pauline letters. Tischendorf published 
the twenty-eight leaves in 1855, and which 
will be found in his " Monumenta Sacra 
Inedita." 

In addition to the manuscripts, parts, and 
fragments which we have named and described 
others may be found — some in fair condition, 
others very pale and hard to read — in the 
following cities, monasteries, and libraries: 

In the British Museum; 

205 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



In the Library of Paris; 

In Vienna, Austria; 

In the University Library, Munich; 

In the State and Court Library, Munich; 

In the Trinity College, Dublin; 

In the Bodleian Library, Oxford; 

In the University Library, Leipsic; 

In the Library of St. Petersburg; 

In the British Bible Society, London; 

In the Laura Monastery, Mt. Athos; 

In the Vatican Library, Rome; 

In the Hamburg Public Library; 

In the Synodal Library, Moscow; 

In the Rumjanzew Museum, Moscow; 

In the University Library, Turin; 

In the Angelica Library, Rome; 

In the Ecclesiastical Library, Kief ; 

In the Monastery of St. John, Patmos; 

In the College of Propaganda, Rome; 

In the Egyptian Museum, Louvre; 

In the Schnudi Monastery, Akhmim, Egypt; 

In the Library of St. Mark, Venice; 

In the National Library, Athens; 

In the Ambrosian Library, Milan; 

In the Church of St. George, Berat, Albania; 

In the Monastery of St. Andrew, Mt. Athos; 

In the Convent of St. Catherine, Mt. Sinai; 

In the University of Basel, Switzerland; 

206 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



In the Utrecht University, Holland; 
In the Dresden Royal Library, Saxony. 

The grand total of all Bible manuscripts, 
catalogued and reasonably accessible, is 3,864. 
Of this number 3,094 are New Testament 
manuscripts. Of the Gospels there are 1,716; 
of the Acts 531; of the Pauline Epistles 628, 
and of the Apocalypse 219. Besides the 114 
uncials there are more than 1,200 cursives, 
designated by Arabic numerals; over 900 
evangelistaries, of which about 100 are in 
uncial writing, varying in date from the tenth 
to the twelfth century. Of the Acts and 
Catholic Epistles there are over 400 cursives; 
of the Pauline Epistles 500, and of the Apoc- 
alypse 180. There are also 260 lectionaries, 
but they do not antedate the tenth century. 

The uncial manuscripts were used down to 
the ninth century, and minuscules after this 
date. The earliest manuscripts were nearly 
all on papyrus — specimens have been found 
in the ruins of Herculaneum. The use of 
parchment, as a writing material, was a 
revival of the old method, employed by the 
ancients before Christ. It gradually super- 
seded papyrus, and by the ninth century was 
universally used. 

207 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



After the fourth century a rivalry began 
among copyists relative to producing gor- 
geous and artistic manuscripts. The age 
of Justinian was distinguished for beautiful 
codices. The Codex Rossanensis, the Patmos, 
and the Argenteus at Upsala, are superb 
works of art. Jerome and St. Chrysostom 
complained of this useless show and dissipat- 
ing luxury, claiming that the cause of Christi- 
anity was injured rather than helped by such 
pride and vanity. From the fifth century on 
manuscripts began to be illustrated by pic- 
tures, or drawings on the margins, and in the 
body of the work. Different colors of ink 
were used — green, black, red, and blue — any- 
thing to suit the discriminating taste of the 
one for whom the codex was written. Early 
manuscripts had no divisions or chapters, but 
after the fourth century such conveniences 
were adopted by a few progressive Christians. 
Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, 
introduced this system of chapter divisions in 
his diocese in 1200, and Cardinal Hugo an 
1240. 

A spirit of fraternity existed among the 
Christians of the early centuries. They were 
a people isolated from all others, and felt the 
imperative need of union and brotherly love. 

208 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



It was nobly courageous to cast themselves 
adrift on a stormy sea, but the star that shone 
over Bethlehem guided them at length into 
the still waters of peace and glory. Their 
meetings were often proscribed, but when the 
hostile authorities would curb their spirit of 
persecution they were allowed to worship in 
a subdued and quiet way. "Guilty as the 
Christians were," said Tacitus, "many had a 
feeling of pity for them." Under the inglorious 
reign of Marcus it was a capital crime to 
become a Christian, or to accuse another of 
being one. 

In the churches and congregations of the 
Saints the manuscripts which we have de- 
scribed, or copies of them, were read aloud to 
the people. Sometimes it was the Gospels, 
at other times the Epistles. The letters of 
Paul were highly favoured. Though under 
the glare of the torch and the drippings of the 
sword, their meetings were joyous and their 
communion sweet. At these meetings mem- 
orial services were often held. They rever- 
enced the memory of their fathers, and of those 
who slept in martyrs' graves. They rejoiced 
at the stories told of Christian fortitude under 
cruel persecution ; of the meek and lowly who 
worked in chains, yea, in the mines and 

209 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



dungeons of the earth ; in the arena where the 
hungry beast quenched its thirst in innocent 
Christian blood. Surely the world has no 
greater, no more wonderful period of time 
than this. Richer is the world by their noble 
sacrifice. 

Consult the same authorities referred to in 
Chapter XIII. 



210 



CHAPTER XV. 



The Canon 



HE centuries immediately following the 



x advent of Christianity witnessed a great 
flood of Bible manuscripts, many possessing 
merit, others unworthy of consideration, and all 
claiming special inspiration. Many had joined 
the ranks of the copyists, which soon became 
a profession or trade, and turned a noble call- 
ing into an art for the accumulation of wealth. 
It was then seen to be necessary to examine 
carefully the various manuscripts circulating 
among the people, to protect them against a 
probability of depending upon an unreliable 
manuscript of the Gospels or Epistles. In all 
the churches and congregations of the Chris- 
tians these manuscripts were indiscriminately 
read aloud to the faithful. A careless reader 
would often fail to detect vital errors, and to 
discover whether the manuscript itself was 
authorized, or regarded as an "outlaw." In 
this way many works were read in the con- 
gregations which are now clearly regarded as 
apocryphal, some of them of unknown author- 
ship. Among them we find the " First Epistle 
of Clement 1 ', which was quoted as Scripture by 




211 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Ireneus, and found in the Codex Alexandrinus. 
"The Pastor of Hernias" was also read, and 
is found in the Codex Sinaiticus, and claimed 
by Clemens, Ireneus, and Origen as inspired 
Scripture. Similar respect was paid to the 
Epistle of Polycarp, and the Epistle of Barna- 
bas. Then there was "The Gospel According 
to the Hebrews." The Ebonites made special 
use of this work in their services. It was 
written in the Aramaic tongue, and was some- 
times known as "The Gospel of the Nazarenes." 
In addition to these apocryphal writings we 
find, in circulation at that time, "The Acts of 
Peter" the "Acts of Paul" and "The Revela- 
tion of Peter." Origen also mentions a manu- 
script called "The Gospel According to the 
Egyptians/ 1 and Jerome discovered a well- 
used tract known as the " Gospel According to 
Bartholomew." Another — and this seems to 
have been in special favour — was the "Gospel 
of the Prophet Elixia." Not least among 
them also were the "Shepherd of Hernias" 
and the "Letter of Ignatius." 

Leading lights in the church felt it their 
duty, perhaps, to continue what they regarded 
as sacred writings after the apostles had 
passed away. It was said that Justin Martyr 
composed a work which he claimed was writ- 

212 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



ten by special inspiration, and sought earnestly 
to have it included in the holy canon of the 
Scriptures. A few others did the same thing, 
and when their requests failed of acceptance 
they were deeply wounded at what they 
termed an unpardonable neglect, and lack of 
appreciation of a labour directed by the will 
of heaven. The Christian people, in conse- 
quence of so many claims demanding their 
attention, were necessarily confused, and 
could not tell w^hat to accept or what to reject. 
They possessed many inspired Gospels, how- 
ever, about which there was no question, save 
that of a few unscrupulous critics, who largely 
overestimated their knowledge of sacred litera- 
ture. Paul's letters to the churches were in 
high favour and universally read. Matthew's 
Gospel w r as the most popular of the Synoptics, 
not that it was superior, exegetically, to Mark 
or to Luke, but gave, probably, a fuller ac- 
count of the life of our Lord, His teachings, 
and the faithful wx>rk and devotion of the 
disciples. 

Probably the first attempt at selecting a 
canon, or list of inspired books for the New 
Testament, was the Muratorian Fragment. 
Antonio Muratori was an Italian scholar, 
historian, and antiquary; a poor boy born in 

213 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



the duchy of Modena. He was renowned in 
many things, but our chief concern with him 
here is his discovery, imbedded in an eighth 
century codex — probably the Codex Basilien- 
sis — of a list of sacred writings which the 
compiler considered suitable for the New 
Covenant. It was discovered in 1740. It is 
not known by whom the so-called canon was 
made. It was evidently composed in Rome, 
and Lightfoot expresses the opinion that Hip- 
polytus was the author. It contained eighty- 
five lines of an early Christian literature, which 
formed a compendium of theological tracts, 
and followed by five early Christian creeds. 
It is in barbarous Latin, translated from the 
original Greek, the language prevailing in 
Christian Rome until A. D. 200. It bears 
evidences of having been written about the 
year 190. The first line in the manuscript is 
broken. It speaks of the Gospel of St. Mark, 
but the compiler must have known of Mat- 
thew also. It names thirteen letters of St. 
Paul, but says nothing of Hebrews. The 
Second Epistle of Peter and the Epistle of 
James are not mentioned, but that of Jude 
and Second John are accepted. The Apoc- 
alypse of John and that of Peter are both 
included. The alleged letters of Paul to the 

214 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Laodiceans and Alexandrians are rejected. 
The "Shepherd of Hennas" is rejected on the 
grounds that the author — whoever he may 
have been — was not an apostle, but the com- 
piler allows a book called 1 'Wisdom Written 
by the Friends of Solomon in His Honour" to 
be included. The writings of the Gnostics 
Valentinus, Montanus, and Basilides find no 
place in the Fragment. 

The noted and scholarly men who wielded 
great influence in forming the New Testament 
canon as we have it today were, Clement of 
Alexandria, Origen, Eusebius, Athanasius, 
Cyril of Jerusalem, Jerome, Augustine, and 
Chrysostom. A short biographical notice of 
some of them may not be amiss. 

Of all the theologians of the early Christian 
church Origen was the most distinguished and 
the most influential. He was born in Alex- 
andria in the year 185 or 186. His parents 
were devout Christians, and from a child he 
took great interest in spiritual things. He 
was a student in the catechetical school in 
which Pantaenus and Clement were leading 
instructors. During the persecution of the 
Christians, in the year 202, his father suffered 
martyrdom, and the family estate was lost. 
Misfortunes, however serious, did not turn him 

215 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



from the paths of righteousness. He devoted 
himself to the deepest research to properly 
equip himself for the great work that lay be- 
fore him. He became teacher, lecturer, 
writer, and preacher. He made himself fa- 
miliar with pagan philosophy, studied the 
stoics and the tenets of the rising sects. By 
these acquirements he could successfully con- 
tend against all opposition. He was perse- 
cuted personally and had a stormy career, 
being arrested, imprisoned and maltreated in 
many ways. In Tyre, in 254, he died the 
death of the righteous, mourned by the church 
and the scholarly world. His selection for 
the New Testament canon will be given 
further on. 

Eusebius of Cesarea, surnamed Pamphilli, 
i. e., friend of Pamphilus, and father of eccle- 
siastical history, was born in Palestine in the 
year 260. Like Origen he was schooled in 
things sacred, and was a great light in the 
trials and sufferings of the Christians. He 
was a student and devoted friend of Pam- 
philus, attending him in his last days of im- 
prisonment and martyrdom. He was one of 
the great scholars and writers of the age. His 
history of the church, and the influences that 
moulded its career, worldly and spiritual, are 

216 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



sacred classics surpassed by nothing in modern 
times. He, too, suffered imprisonment and 
much cruel treatment. He never weakened, 
apostatized, or ceased at any time to declare 
himself a soldier in the army of the Lord. At 
the council of Nicea he was the leading spirit, 
the beacon light of that famous assembly. In 
erudition he excelled all the church fathers 
with the possible exception of Origen and 
Jerome. ' He was a man of great personality, 
and expressed his opinions with force. He 
made bitter enemies, he was blessed with 
strong friends. As a writer of church history 
his fame is secure, and his works stand as a 
monument to his tireless research and devotion 
to truth. He died in Cesarea in the year 340. 

Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, was born 
in 297. He is said to have been studious and 
spiritually inclined from a child. In the mu- 
seum, the ancient seat of the Alexandrian 
University, he studied deeply in the prevailing 
systems of pagan philosophy, comparing them 
with the divine teachings of Christianity. 
The sufferings of the church from almost re- 
lentless persecutions, and his associations 
with the hermit Antony, clouded, in a measure, 
the days of his youth. He was small in stat- 
ure, and "had the face of an angel.' ' Gregory 

217 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



of Nazianzus describes him as "fit to keep on 
a level with commonplace views, yet also to 
soar high in aspirations; accessible to all, slow 
to anger, quick in sympathy, pleasing in con- 
versation, and still more pleasant in temper; 
effective alike in discourse and action, assid- 
uous in devotion, helpful to Christians in every 
class and age; a comforter to the afflicted, a 
staff to the aged, a guide to the young.' ' A 
noble, fine tribute from a loyal friend. 

Athanasius, like many prominent Christians, 
was quite a spirit to be reckoned with in what 
is known as the "Arian controversy/ ' He at- 
tended the Nicean Council, and while not a 
delegated member from Alexandria he entered 
earnestly and thoughtfully into every ques- 
tion that came before that learned body. It 
was a turbulent, stormy convention of earnest 
men seeking, we believe, for the truth and for 
guidance in things divine. This council, and 
the Arian controversy, engendered great strife 
and bitterness throughout Christendom. 
Athanasius was persecuted, imprisoned and 
banished to Treves, the capital of Gaul. He 
there remained until the death of Constantine 
and the accession of Constantine II. In the 
formation of the Canon he was a wise coun- 
sellor, using his wealth of learning, his long 

218 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



experience, and ripened judgment as a leading 
churchman. He died, "in his good old age," 
in 373. 

Jerome, one of the most prominent figures 
in ecclesiastical history, was born at Strido, 
sometimes known as Strigan, a town on 
the borders of Dalmatia, in the year 340. 
His parents were orthodox Christians, but 
lived among Arians. He was first educated 
at home, but afterwards studied in Rome. 
Donatus taught him grammar, Victorinus 
taught him rhetoric. He attended the law 
courts, and listened to the Roman advocates 
pleading in the Forum. He went to schools 
of philosophy, and listened, delighted, to 
lectures on Plato, Diogenes and Carneades. 
His Sundays and moments of leisure were 
spent in the catacombs, discovering the graves 
of martyrs and deciphering inscriptions. When 
his school days were over he returned to 
Strido, but he was full of the possibilities of 
life, and did not remain there long. He was 
emotional, excitable, and yet a scholar, He 
would readily sacrifice a friend for a cherished 
opinion. In Aquileia he settled down to 
literary w r ork and wrote much. His great 
temptation was to study the literature of 
pagan Rome. But in his dreams the Lord 

219 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



chastised him for loving Cicero and Virgil 
more than the Gospel of Christ. He resolved 
at once to become simply a student of the 
sacred manuscripts. David was henceforth 
to become his Simonides, his Pindar, his 
Catullus, and his Alcaeus. He became se- 
cluded, stole away to the wastes of Chalcis, 
and lived the life of a hermit. There he 
studied the old manuscripts, restoring, with 
great care and diligence, those that had faded, 
or had become soiled with constant use. 

In after years Jerome came to be a mighty 
force in Christian thought and progress. He 
wrote many tracts and critical books, copied 
manuscripts, and made several important 
translations. At the special request of Bishop 
Damasus, he translated the Bible into Latin, 
which is known as the "Latin Vulgate. " He 
died in Bethlehem, September 30, 420, A. D. 
There were many contradictions in Jerome's 
eventful life. He had his moments of gentle- 
ness, kindness, and forbearance, but again he 
was contentious, intolerant, almost cruel in 
his forensic disputes. He advocated the 
monastic life; by his teachings led many 
women to abandon their homes and live a 
life of celibacy. Again he gave evidences of 
loving the ways of the world; was affable, a 

220 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



courtier, and sometimes scandalously proud 
and gay. 

St. John Chrysostom was born of a noble 
family of Antioch, the capital of Syria, A.D., 
345. Of Libanus the sophist he was a devoted 
student, but, to use a charge of his master, 
"he was stolen away to lead a life of piety 
like Augustine, Theodoret, and Nazianzus." 
Like many other great spirits of the age he 
buried himself in a desert, and for ten years 
lived a life of study and of self denial. Return- 
ing to the world he became an archbishop, 
and from the pulpit of St. Sophia he thundered 
his eloquence against sin and the love of 
temporal power. He exposed the sins of the 
Empress Eudoxia, and for this violation of 
respect for the court and crown he was 
imprisoned, severely punished, and banished 
to Nicaea in Bithynia. A great protest went 
up from the people, and he was released. 
Forgetting his imprisonment, his punishment, 
and his exile he stormed the citadel of vice 
again, and called the authorities to account 
before heaven for their misdeeds. He was 
again arrested. Barbarous troops were 
appointed to guard him, and he suffered 
many painful indignities, for which ancient 
civilization should blush. He was at length 

221 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



banished the second time to the desolate city 
of Cucusus, among the dismal hills and 
gloomy ridges of Mount Taurus. His ardor, 
the holy fire in his bosom was not tamed. 
He continued to preach boldly, fearlessly. 
His voice was clothed in heaven's unsparing 
thunders, and the throne shook in fear and 
anger. He was banished again for the third 
time to the desert of Pityus, where he spent 
many lonely days. He died at Comana, in 
Pontus, 407. He was a great orator? 
theologian and scholar. His work for Christ 
and the Kingdom has ever been a pleasing 
inspiration for the Christian ages. 

The fathers, of whom we have written, 
laboured faithfully and untiringly for the 
Canon. They were unwilling to accept any 
manuscript, any Gospel about which hung a 
shadow of doubt. From the second century 
to the fifth the Christian world was contin- 
ually busy with the question of a pure and 
faultless Gospel. Divine guidance was sought 
to steer them through the billows of uncer- 
tainty. Origen was willing to accept the 
Canon as we have it today, except James and 
Jude. Eusebius Pamphilus announced his 
willingness to accept all the New Testament 
books, but mentions James, Jude, Second 

222 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Peter, Second and Third John, and the Apoc- 
alypse as disputed books. Athanasius ac- 
cepts all, but speaks of the "Shepherd of 
Hernias" as useful, but not canonical. Cyril, 
Bishop of Jerusalem, accepts the Canon as 
we have it at this time. The Laodicean Council 
accepts all, with the single exception of 
Revelation. Jerome includes all, but states 
that many place Hebrews outside the Canon. 
Chrysostom accepts the four Gospels, the 
Acts, three Catholic Epistles, the Epistles of 
Paul, but omits the remaining books. The 
Synod of Carthage, in 397, at which Augustine 
was present, includes all, naming the books 
specifically. The work of this Synod was 
especially valuable. Gregory, of Nazianzen, 
accepts all without question, and commends 
them to Christians everywhere. Clement of 
Alexandria recognizes the Gospels, the Pauline 
Epistles, the Acts, and Revelation, but omits 
James, Second Peter and Third John. 

A great many notable men — churchmen, 
scholars, and renowned teachers — during the 
early centuries were tireless in their efforts to 
so perfect the books of the New Testament 
that no opposition, or criticism, could materi- 
ally affect or displace them. In the second 
century, among the great lights that illumined 

223 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



the pathway, we find Justin Martyr, Ireneus, 
Polycarp, and Tertullian. In the third cen- 
tury we find Origen, Cyprian, Gregory of 
Neocesarea, and Julius Africanus. In the 
fourth century we find Eusebius, Bishop of 
Cesarea; Basil the Great, Ephraim of Odessa; 
Diodorus of Tarsus; and Cyril of Jerusalem. 
In the fifth century we have Arnobius, Pela- 
gius, Theodoret, and Nilus the disciple of 
Chrysostom — a mighty array of devoted, 
learned, and fearless men. 

Authorities Consulted: 

Westcott — " History of the New Testament 
Canon," London, 1889, 

Charteris — "The Canon, " London, 1880, 

Gregory — "Canon and Text of the New 
Testament," New York, 1907, 

Souter — "Text and Canon of the New 
Testament," New York, 1913. 



224 



CHAPTER XVI. 
Versions 

\li 7E have seen how a friendly and affec- 
v * tionate letter which St. Paul, out of the 
fullness of his great soul, wrote from Athens 
to a little congregation of persecuted Chris- 
tians, in the ancient city of Thessalonica, 
proved to be the beginning, the first recorded 
line of the New Testament, the great Apostle 
little dreaming that his pen was giving birth 
to a beautiful and sacred literature, unsur- 
passed in all the ages of time. 

We have seen how the old fathers and all 
the apostles adopted this method of communi- 
cating with the saints, when absent in other 
fields of labour, to cheer and comfort them in 
the great work in which heaven had set them 
apart. We have seen, when the years came 
on, laden with sorrows and afflictions, with 
w r eary watchings and waitings for the coming 
of the Saviour, how the early Christians saw 
the necessity of a permanent record of the 
mighty deeds done in that miraculous and 
momentous time. We have seen, as in a 
dream and holy vision, how the saints, poor 
and helpless yet full of hope, came to the son 
of a Christian mother in Jerusalem and said, 

225 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Write, O Mark, and tell of all the things 
which thou hast seen and heard concerning 
the Lord ; write of the wise men in the desert, 
the guiding star, and the Holy Child; write 
of His beautiful life; of the dead that arose at 
His bidding, of the winds that heard Him 
speak in the mighty roar of the sea; tell of 
Gethsemane, of the Cross, of the sun that 
refused its light; of the graves that burst and 
gave up the dead; of the Resurrection and of 
His ascension into heaven! Of these things 
write, that the children of men may read, 
and learn, and have eternal life. 

We have seen how this request, born of the 
hope that the religion of Christ should not 
perish from the earth, was faithfully and 
nobly answered. We have seen how, in the 
unfolding years, Luke and Matthew and John, 
out of the threads of a golden memory, wove 
a Gospel that remains the sacred gem of the 
Aramaic tongue. We have written of the 
papyrus and parchment rolls on which the 
saints and apostles recorded their impressions 
of Christ, what they heard Him proclaim and 
command them to do; where these old manu- 
scripts are today , in what condition they may 
be found, and to whom they are said to 
belong. 

226 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



It shall be our task now to record, as 
accurately as the facts in our possession will 
permit, how these sacred writings, the Gospels 
and Epistles, were formed into collections or 
Versions, uniform in language and translation, 
and bearing the stamp of canonical authority. 
In the early years of the Christian era there 
were no standard rules by which to determine 
the accuracy or authenticity of a "roll" or 
codex. Different sections and different coun- 
tries had manuscripts, "readings/ ' and inter- 
pretations out of harmony with those of their 
brethren elsewhere. It was clearly evident, 
then, that some step must be taken to form 
some union, some standard in language, trans- 
lation, and rules of interpretation to be used 
by Christians everywhere. 

As the Versions of the New Testament were, 
in many ways, patterned of the Versions of 
the Old Covenant, we will notice briefly a 
few of the ancient Versions that claimed 
attention in that primitive age. 

Among the Semitic Versions the Targums 
— the paraphrastic translations of the Hebrew 
Scriptures, or parts, into the Aramaic tongue — 
are probably of the greatest antiquity. That 
of the Law by Onkelos, a friend of Gamaliel, 
and that of the Prophets by Jonathan ben 

227 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Uzziel, said to have been a disciple of Hillel, 
are unquestionably of a remote period. There 
are two others of the Pentateuch, both prior 
to the seventh century, but they exist only in 
fragments, and claim no special value. 

The Samaritan Pentateuch was written in 
old Hebrew characters. It was carried by 
Manaseth to Samaria when revival worship 
was established on Mount Gerizim. Copies 
have been referred to by Cyril and Eusebius 
in their historical writings. 

We have written an account of the Version 
known as the Septuagint in a former chapter. 
It was made for the Alexandrian Jews, and is 
sometimes referred to as the " Version of the 
Seventy." Christ and the Apostles read it 
devotedly, and referred to it, without question, 
as the Word of God. Its influence was 
greater than any other ancient version. It 
served as the foundation for several later 
collections, and stood, for many centuries, as 
the best version rendered by the Jewish 
fathers. 

In 405, A. D., Jerome undertook to prepare 
a translation, direct from the Hebrew into 
the Latin tongue. The work was begun at 
the special request of Bishop Damasus, who 
seriously complained of the worthless trans- 

228 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



lations and codices circulating among the 
people. When finished it was dignified by 
the name of Vulgate, from the Latin "Versio 
Vulgata," meaning the "correct," or "best" 
version. 

The Syriac, or Western Aramaic Version, 
sometimes called the Pishitta ("correct," or 
"simple"), was made direct from the Hebrew, 
and agrees admirably with the Massoretic 
text. The place where this version was made, 
and the date of its first appearance, are hidden 
in the misty years of antiquity. It is claimed 
that a priest by the name of Asa compiled it, 
but the evidences supporting it are very 
meagre. Origen is said to have found it in 
the keeping of an old woman in Jericho. It 
contains all the canonical books of the Old 
Testament, and those of the New except 
Second Peter, Second and Third John, Jude 
and Revelation. 

The Gothic Version was made or compiled 
by Ulphilas, a bishop of the Moeso-Goths, in 
the year A. D. 360. It was made from The 
Seventy, but only fragments of it remain. 

Based upon the Syriac the Armenian Version 
was made some time during the fifth century, 
but afterwards revised from The Seventy. 
The translator was the patriarch Mesrob, who 
did his work reasonably well. 

229 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



In the ninth century we have the Slavonic 
Version, made by the brothers Cyril and 
Methodius, of Thessalonica, who were mis- 
sionaries to Bulgaria and Moravia. Among 
biblical scholars it is not very highly spoken of. 

From Origen's Hexapla a translation was 
made at this time of the Psalms, and known 
as Psalterium Gallicanum. The translation 
seems to have had some merit, and enjoyed 
considerable popularity. 

There have been many translations of the 
New Testament. Of the ancient versions we 
shall only notice a few that commanded 
attention and respect. Among the Syriac 
versions may be mentioned the "Diatessaron" 
meaning a translation made by four evan- 
gelists. It was systematically arranged by 
Tatian, an Assyrian by birth, and pupil of 
Justin Martyr. He attempted a harmony of 
the Gospels, with the text interwoven into 
one interesting narrative. Tatian's own work 
is lost, but an Arabic translation has been 
preserved, and two copies of it may be found 
in the Vatican Library, Rome. It is of noble 
antiquity, originating in about the year 170. 

The Philoxenian-Harclean Version contains 
the whole New Testament except the Apoca- 
lypse. A manuscript copy of this translation 

230 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



was, for a long time, preserved in New 
College, Oxford, and belonged to Ridley, a 
Christian martyr. Of its merits, age and 
composition we are not well advised. 

Another version, known as the Palestinian 
or " Jerusalem Copy," was discovered by Mrs. 
Lewis and Mrs. Gibson in the Sinaitic Monas- 
tery, on Mount Sinai. However, only frag- 
ments were found, and these were in a very 
bad condition, the parchment heavily dark 
with age, and the letters slowly fading away. 
We have records also of the Memphistic and 
the Thebaic, sometimes called the Bohairic 
and Sahidic. The Ethiopic was made in 
Abyssinia when Christianity became the 
national religion in the fifth century. Of the 
Gothic version, by Ulphilas, the most cele- 
brated manuscript is the Argenteus, of the 
four Gospels* written in silver letters . and 
otherwise ornamented. It is, unfortunately, 
very imperfect. In the Upsal Library, Sweden, 
it is carefully guarded, and is a choice treasure. 

Coming down to a later period of time we 
find, with the development and growth of 
different nationalities and languages of modern 
Europe, versions of the Bible in the vernacular 
became a religious necessity. In each country 
one or two, of a number of independent 

231 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



versions or translations, having valuable exe- 
getical features, came to be most commonly 
used and adopted by the national church. 
The translation into the Anglo-Saxon tongue 
began as early as the eighth century. Csed- 
mon, an old English poet, put parts of the 
Bible narrative into verse, and in the year 
700 Bede translated the Gospel of St. John. 
Aldhelm and others made metrical verses of 
the Psalms. In the time of King Alfred 
other portions of the New Testament and the 
Psalter were translated. Previous to the 
Norman Conquest there was no complete 
and generally used English Bible. After the 
Conquest, in 1066, under the influence of the 
Normans, the old Anglo-Saxon became Eng- 
lish. Orm, an Augustinian monk, wrote the 
"Ormulum," a metrical paraphrase of the 
Gospels and of Acts, and others treated 
Genesis and Exodus in the same manner. 
In 1320 William Shoreham and Richard Rolle 
made prose verses of the Psalter. It was a 
unique arrangement, and created much com- 
ment and criticism. In the year 1385 we 
find the entire Bible circulating in an English 
version, in such language as the poor, unedu- 
cated people could understand. This was 
mainly due to John Wycliff, a learned re- 

232 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



former, born in the village of Ipreswell, 
Yorkshire, England, 1315. He translated 
the whole Bible from Latin into English, a 
version remarkable for its pure and simple 
language. It is but fair to state that his 
co-workers, Nicholas of Hereford, and John 
Purvey, rendered much valuable aid in this 
translation. It was based on Jerome's Latin 
Vulgate. Its avowed purpose was that "the 
poor might be able to read the truth/ ' It 
was a great landmark in English translations, 
and its influence in the Christian world was 
most profound. 

The Reformation begun in Germany soon 
found its way into England. It awakened 
great interest, and eventually wrought a 
mighty revolution in every Christian country. 
Men were bold and unfettered where they 
had been intellectually and spiritually in 
fear and bondage. Gutenberg invented the 
"movable type" in 1425. It was, without 
doubt, the greatest discovery or invention in 
the history of mankind. It liberated the 
human race from the pitiless shackles and 
darkness which, from the remotest ages of 
antiquity, had chained men to the chariot of 
ignorance and superstitution. 

233 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



In 1525 the Bible began to be put into type. 
The printed English Bible began its history 
with the New Testament of William Tyndale. 
He was a great spirit, whose life was inter- 
woven with the struggles and persecution of 
the English Christians. Born in Glouces- 
tershire, England, 1484, he was educated at 
Oxford and afterward at Cambridge. He was 
a bright scholar, a deep thinker, and singu- 
larly loyal to his convictions. In 1524 he 
went to Hamburg and thence to Wittenberg. 
In 1525 we find him in Cologne, engrossed with 
the great work that lay before him. There, 
with the help of William Roye, he began with 
Euentel the printing of his English New 
Testament in an impression of 3,000 copies, 
in a small octavo size. The translation owed 
much to Luther, much also to the third 
edition of the Greek Testament of Erasmus, 
with its Latin translation. Turnstall and 
Warham publicly denounced the book, and 
hundreds were brought up and burned by 
their authority. Nevertheless, the book had 
found its way into the hearts of the English 
people, the strong simplicity and homely 
vigor of its style bequeathing its beautiful 
phrases imperishable to all posterity. It was 
a translation at once truthful, impartial, and 

234 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



fearless. In 1534 Miles Coverdale, a clergy- 
man of some character and ability, undertook 
a new version, or translation. Really it was 
only a revised Tyndale, and while it was 
specially dedicated to Henry VIII it was not 
regarded by students and scholars as having 
any distinctive merit. Other editions came 
out in 1537, 1539, and in 1550. They were 
much better received. In 1537 another large 
folio Bible, bearing the name of Thomas 
Matthews as translator, came out and it, too, 
was dedicated to the king. It was, in fact, 
an imperfect reprint of Tyndale and Cover- 
dale. 

Meanwhile Thomas Cromwell was arrang- 
ing for the publication of another Bible, 
hoping to see it warmly accepted by all 
clergymen. The sheets were first printed 
in Paris, but these were hastily seized by the 
Inquisition and destroyed. The presses, type 
and other material were then removed to 
England, where the work was published in 
1539. Copies of this translation, which, by 
reason of its size, was called "The Great 
Bible/ 9 were ordered to be placed in the 
churches, so that all who wished to read could 
do so. 

235 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



During the last seven years of King Henry's 
reign his power and influence were directed 
against further efforts to popularize the Bible. 
However, with the accession of King Edward 
VI most of the proscribed editions of the 
Scriptures were republished and freely circu- 
lated. It was estimated that more than 75,000 
copies were printed — a large amount for that 
time — in Edward's reign. Then came the 
reaction under Mary, known sometimes as 
" Bloody Mary." Whether the young queen 
merited this terrible appellation is a question 
for history to decide. She had lived from a 
child among stormy scenes. She was the 
daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of 
Aragon. Her father, as the world knows, 
not only disgraced the throne of England, but 
his savage brutality dwarfed his soul, and 
rendered him less than the merciless beasts of 
the jungle. With inhuman ferocity he drove 
Mary from his house, while she was yet a young 
girl, causing her to become a servant to 
sustain life. He accused her of indecency, 
and with the rage of a demon cursed the hour 
of her birth. Let us be merciful in our judg- 
ments. God and the angels know. 

Under Mary's reign the circulation of the 
Bible was again proscribed. The leaders of 

236 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



the Reformation were persecuted, martyred, 
and many stole away to the Continent for 
personal safety. Some of the refugees settled 
in Geneva, where they at length published the 
New Testament in 1559, and the whole Bible 
in 1560. These were known as "Handy 
Editions/ ' in plain type, with some attempt 
at supplying chapters and verses, and also 
with marginal commentaries. This "Geneva 
Bible" eclipsed all others in popularity. It 
is also known as the "Breeches Bible/' from 
its amusing rendering of Genesis III-7. 

In 1568, under the leadership of Archbishop 
Parker, we have what was known as the 
"Bishops' Bible" — the joint labour of eight 
English Bishops. It was, however, too expen- 
sive to be popular. 

It may be necessary here to state that 
chapter divisions were first adopted by Cardi- 
nal Hugo in 1240, and by Stephen Langton, 
Archbishop of Canterbury, at an earlier date. 
After the invention of printing the chapter 
and verse divisions became general. Tradi- 
tion has it these divisions were made by 
Langton while on horseback, on a trip from 
Paris to London, but the story is neither 
reasonable nor probable. 

237 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



With the invention of printing came a 
mighty revolution in the making of books. 
Presses were installed in many places in 
Europe, especially in France, England, and 
Germany. Scholars and writers found a 
convenient outlet to display their learning, 
and to air their opinions on subjects hitherto 
clouded to the public. A number of trans- 
lations, or versions of the Bible, whole or in 
part, came from the press. In a very short 
time there came a rivalry among translators 
relative to the merits or demerits of their 
several works, sometimes ending in violent 
controversies foreign to a Christian spirit. 
Conditions of this kind, naturally and inevi- 
tably, led to serious confusion in the minds of 
the people, who could not decide for them- 
selves. The leading spirits in the church, 
Bishops, elders, and learned laymen, soon 
discovered that vital steps must be taken to 
unite on some special translation, backed by 
devotion, wisdom and learning, upon which 
all could agree. In surveying the field they 
decided that no Bible, then in circulation, 
could meet the requirements generally speci- 
fied. Hence, they must look to the future 
to supply this urgent need. 

238 ( 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



It may be noted, also, that at this time — 
accurately speaking, in 1609 — a translation 
of the Bible appeared known as the "Douai 
Version/ 1 translated by the students of the 
Douai Catholic College, under the auspices 
of Cardinal Allen, the founder of that seat of 
education. It was published only two years 
before the Authorized Version, and has the 
distinction of being the only English Bible 
having the sanction of the Pope. It circu- 
lated only among the adherents of the Cath- 
olic Church. 

The reader may consult: 

Schaff's "A Companion to the Greek Testa- 
ment and The English Version/ ' New York, 
1889, 

Westcott: "A General View of The History 
of The English Bible," London, 1905, 

Eadie: "The English Bible/ ' 2 vols., Lon- 
don, 1876, 

Hoar: "The Evolution of the English 

Bible," London, 1902, 

"The English Hexapla," London, 1841, 
Bagster: "The Bible of Every Land," 

London, 1861. 



239 



CHAPTER XVII. 
Version s — C ontinued 

JAMES I, King of England, was the son of 
Henry, Lord Darnley, and Mary, Queen 
of Scots, and born in the Castle of Edinburgh 
in 1566. His mother having been forced to 
abdicate the sovereignty, he was crowned 
King at Stirling, July 29, 1567. The regency 
was vested in the Earl of Murray, who literally 
reigned until his assassination in 1570. James 
was a child of misfortune from his cradle. 
His mother was beheaded by Queen Eliza- 
beth, his father was cruelly murdered in a 
lonely house, called Kirk of Field, in 1567. 
Circumstantial evidence and the hand of fate 
pointed strongly to James Hepburn, Earl of 
Bothwell, as the heartless murderer. Thus 
cruelty, sin, and death hovered about him 
and haunted his footsteps by day and his 
pillow by night. He lived and reigned in an 
unsettled and stormy age. He leaned, un- 
mistakably, to the Protestants, and this 
brought upon his head the united curses of the 
Catholic Church, from the servile peasant to 
the Pope at Rome. His efforts to promote 
harmony only kindled the fires anew. He 

240 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



lived in fear of his life, but found time, amid 
the tumult of conflicting interest and opinions, 
to promote every enterprise looking to the 
advancement of Christianity in the spirit 
which the Master commanded. 

In the spring of 1604, Dr. Reynolds, presi- 
dent of Corpus Christi College, Oxford — the 
acknowledged leader of the "Low Church" 
party — proposed to translate the Holy Scrip- 
tures into English, the translators to be se- 
lected by King James from the leading 
churchmen of his kingdom, irrespective of 
their creeds. His proposal found favour at 
once, the king readily consenting. A con- 
ference between the "High Church' ' and the 
"Low Church' 9 parties was convened at 
Hampton Court on January 1, 1604. The 
meeting was harmonious from the beginning. 
James expressed special pride in the under- 
taking, and said to the Conference: 

"I desire that some special pains be taken 
to bring about one uniform translation, and 
this to be done by the best learned in both the 
Universities; after them to be reviewed by 
the Bishops and the chief learned of the 
church; from them to be presented to the 
Privy Council, and lastly to be ratified by 
royal authority." 

241 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



He also decreed that no notes or com- 
mentaries should, anywhere, be added to the 
translation. It was also stipulated that the 
help of learned and scholarly men was to be 
sought on linguistic problems, whether they 
were duly appointed members of the Com- 
mitte of Revisers or not. The selection of 
men who were qualified to serve in an impor- 
tant council of this nature required much 
labour, and was fraught with great responsi- 
bility. Five months elapsed before the com- 
plete list was drawn up. The register shows 
how well the selection was made. The men 
were chosen without regard to party or creed, 
at least as many of the Puritan clergy were 
engaged as those of the opposite party. We 
give the following list, as selected by King 
James. It is compiled, chiefly, from Card- 
weirs Synodailia, a reprint from Burnet's 
Annals, who took his list from a copy belong- 
ing, originally, to Bishop Ravis. We will 
divide the body into six sections, naming the 
books of the Bible given to each section to 
translate into English : 

Genesis to Second Kings. 
Dr. Lancelot Andrewes, Dean of West- 
minster. 

Dr. John Overall, Dean of St. Paul's. 

242 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 

Dr. Hadrian de Saravia, Canon of Canter- 
bury. 

Dr. Richard Clark, Fellow of Trinity Col- 
lege, Cambridge. 

Dr. John Lay field, Fellow of Trinity Col- 
lege, Cambridge. 

Dr. Robert Teigh, Archdeacon of Middle- 
sex. 

Mr. Francis Burleigh, D. D., Pern. Hall, 
Cambridge. 

Mr. Geoffrey King, Fellow of King's Col- 
lege, Cambridge. 

Mr. Thompson, Clare Hall, Cambridge. 

Mr. William Bedwell, St. John's College, 
Cambridge. 

First Chronicles to Ecclesiastes. 

Mr. Edward Lively, Fellow of Trinity 
College. 

Mr. John Richardson, Master of Trinity 
College. 

Mr. Lawrence Chatterton, Master, Emm. 
College. 

Mr. Francis Dillingham, Fellow of Christ 
College. 

Mr. Thomas Harrison, Vice-Master, Trinity 
College. 

Mr. Roger Andrewes, Master, Jesus College. 
Mr. Robert Spalding, Fellow of St. John's. 
Mr. Andrew Byng, Fellow of St. Peter's 
College. 

243 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Isaiah to Malachi. 

Dr. John Harding, President of Magd. 
College. 

Dr. John Reynolds, President of Corpus 
Christi College. 

Dr. Thomas Holland, Rector, Ex. College. 

Mr. Richard Kilbye, Rector of Lincoln 
College. 

Dr. Miles Smith, Brasenose College. 
Dr. Richard Brett, Fellow of Lincoln Col- 
lege. 

Mr. Richard Fairclough, Fellow of New 
College. 

The Apocrypha. 

Dr. John Duport, Master of Jesus College. 
Dr. William Branthwait, Master of Caius 
College. 

Dr. Jeremiah Radcliffe, Fellow Trinity 
College. 

Dr. Samuel Ward, Master of Sid. College. 
Mr. Andrew Downs, Fellow St. John's 
College. 

Mr. John Bois, Fellow St. John's College. 
Mr. Robert Ward, Fellow of King's College. 

The Four Gospels, Acts and Apocalypse. 

Dr. Thomas Ravis, Dean of Christ Church. 
Dr. George Abbot, Dean of Winchester. 
Dr. Richard Eedes, Dean of Worcester. 
Dr. Giles Thompson, Dean of Windsor. 
Sir Henry Saville, Provost of Eton College. 

244 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Dr. John Perin, Fellow of St. John's College. 
Dr. Ravins, Fellow of St. John's College. 
Dr. John Harmer, Fellow of New College. 

Romans to Jude. 

Dr. William Barlow, Dean of Chester. 
Dr. William Hutchison, Archdeacon, St. 
Albans. 

Dr. John Spencer, President Corpus Christi 
College, Oxford. 

Dr. Roger Fenton, Fellow Pemb. Hall, 
Cambridge. 

Mr. Michael Rabbett, Trinity College, 
Cambridge. 

Mr. Thomas Sanderson, Balliol College, 
Oxford. 

Mr. William Dakins, Fellow Trinity Col- 
lege, Cambridge. 

The above body of men, representing the 
highest scholarship of England, adopted rules 
and regulations to govern their labours which 
were eminently fair to all concerned. The 
11 Bishops' Bible," of which we spoke in the 
previous chapter, was to be followed as closely 
as possible. The names of the prophets and 
patriarchs were to be retained as formerly 
used; the word "church" must be used instead 
of "congregation;" the division into chapters 
to be altered as little as consistent with the 
harmony of subjects. No comments, or mar- 

245 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



ginal notes, shall be affixed only for an ex- 
planation of Greek and Hebrew words. 
Every man of each division or company to 
translate, separate and apart, the same chap- 
ter, and having revised and written it anew 
to submit it to the Council for ratification, 
and, by a general discussion, to be accepted 
or rejected. The actual work of translation 
consumed about two years and nine months, 
and an additional nine months to prepare the 
matter for the press. Dr. Miles Smith, Bishop 
of Gloucester, gave an account of the way in 
which the translation was made : 

4 'We did not run over the work in haste/ 9 
he wrote in 1612, "as with the Septuagint, 
which was finished in seventy-two days. The 
work has cost the workmen, as light as it 
seemeth, the pains of seven times seventy- 
two days, and more. We never thought from 
the beginning to make a new translation, but 
to make a good one better, or of many bad 
ones to make one good one." 

We have much evidence to believe that the 
labour of the translators was blessed with 
candor, honesty, and the harmony born of a 
Christian spirit. If in their midst there was 
a spirit of needless contention history has 
failed to so record it. 

246 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



The title of the translation was as follows, 
with spelling, phraseology, and capitals: 

"The Holy Bible, 
Conteyning the Old Testament and 
the New: Newly Translated out of 
the originall tongues & w^ith the 
former Translations diligently com- 
pared and revised by his Majesties 
special commandment. Appointed 
to be read in churches. Imprinted 
at London by Robert Barker, printer 
to the Kings most excellent majestie. 
Anno Dom. 1611." 

Thus that which, to the English-speaking 
people, is known as the 11 Authorized Version" 
made its entrance into the sanctuary of the 
world's sacred literature. For two hundred 
and fifty-nine years it was the authority, the 
High and Divine Court of Appeals in ques- 
tions pertaining to the religion of Jesus 
Christ. The general accuracy of this trans- 
lation, and its purity of style soon won the 
approbation of scholars, and so commended 
it to readers generally that from the time of 
its adoption it has superseded all other 
versions. It was translated into more than 
400 tongues; forged its way into heathen 
jungles, commanded respect in the greatest 
universities; challenged the agnostic, and 

247 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



defied the creeds of the self -centered philoso- 
pher. Millions have found strength and com- 
fort in its pages. The wisdom of its teachings, 
and the poetry in which it was all so beauti- 
fully clothed, have never been surpassed or 
equaled. 

At length, with the advancement of learn- 
ing, the facts which the slowly unfolding years 
yielded to study and to endless research, 
seemed to demand a partial revision of the 
cherished version. Great linguists claimed 
that its text could be simplified, and many 
difficult problems explained by a careful 
rendering of the ancient Hebrew and Greek, 
in which the sacred writings were composed. 
Many clergymen and laymen of classic learn- 
ing joined in this thought. The proposal 
ripened into a decree calling, or assembling, 
the Convocation of Canterbury, in February, 
1870, and the appointment of a committee to 
consider the advisability of a revision. The 
committee in a few months reported favour- 
ably on the scheme, recommending that "the 
revision be so conducted as to comprise both 
marginal renderings, and such emendations 
as it may be found necessary to insert in the 
text of the authorized version," stating, also, 
"that in the above resolution we do not con- 

248 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



template any new translation of the Bible, 
or any alteration of the language except 
where, in the judgment of the most competent 
scholars, such change is necessary/ ' 

America was invited to join in this attempt 
at a revision, and many of her most noted 
biblical students readily consented. Thus the 
flower of England's scholarship was again 
called into service. Of the twenty-nine men 
appointed ten were removed by death, and 
two refused to serve. The Rev. J. Troutbeck, 
minor canon of Westminster, acted as secre- 
tary. The Roman Catholic Church refused 
to take part in the work of revision, or to 
encourage the attempt in any manner what- 
ever. 

The revisers worked in four groups, two in 
England and two in America. It was found 
that the American revisers were more pliant 
and tolerant in their criticisms and readings 
than their English brethren, and the Standard 
American Edition of 1901 embodies many 
changes which were unaccepted by the latter. 

The second revision was begun in October, 
1872, under the presidency of Dr. Philip 
Schaff. An Old Testament company of fif- 
teen scholars was formed, and with W. H. 
Green as chairman a New Testament com- 

249 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



pany was formed, consisting of sixteen schol- 
ars. The criticisms of the American group of 
revisers were duly considered by the English 
company, and their readings were in turn 
sent to America. The translations received 
were once more given consideration, and 
finally the unadopted readings, for which the 
American scholars professed deliberate pref- 
erence, were printed as appendices to the two 
Testaments as published in 1881 and in 1885. 
More than 10,000 emendations were made. 
The revision of the New Testament was com- 
pleted in 407 meetings, distributed over a 
period of ten years. The revision of the Old 
Testament occupied 792 days, being finished 
on June 20, 1884. The revised Apocrypha 
did not make its appearance until 1895. 

In accuracy at least the Revised Version is 
superior to the old. It embraced a better 
system of punctuation, consequently throwing 
much light on passages or verses over which 
hung a shadow or veil of mystery. Partisans 
and disputants found that, in many places, 
their favourite " proof texts' ' had 1 'suffered/ ' 
immeasurably, at the hands of the revisers. 

For several years the Revised Version failed 
of popularity. People could not bring them- 
selves to understand that it was necessary to 

250 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



convert the language of Christ and the fathers 
into the tongue of the shop-keeper, the 
artisan, and the street loafer. Through many 
generations, from childhood to old age, the 
Bible had spoken to them in a language 
clothed in beautiful imagery and poetic meas- 
ure, yea, in heaven's holy and solemn voice. 
To many it was like closing the gates of im- 
mortality and descending to earth, earthy, to 
things modern and carnal. How strongly do 
we cling to the old, old customs of the genera- 
tions gone, the great hosts that sleep in the 
bosom of the ages and in the beautiful moon- 
light of sacred memories ! 

From time to time, especially during the 
middle ages and after, many translations of 
the Scriptures appeared in different countries 
and in different tongues. France owes her 
earliest version, 1160, to the Waldensian chief 
Piere de Vaud, and the next to Guyard 
Moulins in 1294. At Lyons, in 1477, appeared 
the first New Testament in French print, 
followed, in 1487, by the stately Bible dedi- 
cated to Charles VIII. More for the people 
were the Testaments D'Etaples made in 1530 
from the Latin Vulgate. More modernized, 
perhaps, were Lemaistre's huge Port Royal 
Bible in 1667, and Simon's New Testament in 

251 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



1702. A Dutch Version of parts of the Scrip- 
tures was printed at Delft in 1477, and the 
next year saw the first complete — " Cologne' ' — 
Bible in Low German. Luther's New Testa- 
ment was revised and published in Dutch in 
1522, and the whole Bible at Antwerp in 1526. 
Holland was very prolific of versions in this 
age. 

The New Testament appeared in Danish 
first in 1524 under Christian II, and in 1529 
Petersen's New Testament and Version of 
Psalms were published at Antwerp. Luther's 
Bible passed over into Danish in 1550. 

We find a Sclavic Version for Russians in 
1555, and printed for circulation in 1581 at the 
instance of Prince Constantine, and revised at 
Moscow in 1663. The Czechs received their 
first version in 1488, and completed by 
Alexander II in 1876, the Croatians in 1495, 
the Poles in 1480, the Wends in 1547, the 
Slovenes in 1555, the Bulgars in 1828, and the 
Serbs in 1847. 

The oldest Italian Version, strictly speaking, 
was the Waldensian of Jacques de Voraigne in 
1270. Buccioli made a translation from the 
original tongues in 1530. Other translations 
appeared at Venice in 1531-2. The Turin 

252 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Version by Archbishop Martini, in 1776, found 
special favour with the church. 

The Catalonian translation of the New 
Testament was made in the fourteenth cen- 
tury, when Jewish-Spanish versions were 
printed at Valencia. The first Spanish New 
Testament saw the light at Antwerp in 1543; 
the next at Geneva in 1546. The first Old 
Testament appeared at Ferrara in 1553, the 
first whole Bible in Spanish at Basel, in 1569. 

R. d'Almeida dared to publish in Portuguese 
the New Testament, and in 1712-19 the 
Mosaic and historical books of the Old Testa- 
ment. 

The Irish New Testament dates from 1595, 
the Old Testament from 1685. In Gaelic the 
New Testament was issued in 1690, the whole 
Bible in 1783. 

The Manx Version orginated in 1772. 

A Breton New Testament appeared in 1827, 
another in 1847, and the full Bible in 1860. 

Many beautifully illustrated Bibles have 
been issued in all civilized countries. Scenes in 
the life of the "Man of Sorrows' 9 have inspired 
the brush of the world's greatest painters, 
beginning in the early years of the fourth 
century, continuing through the dark ages, 
and to the present time. What great artist 

253 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



has ever lived who has not, at some time, 
portrayed the Child in the manger; the flight 
of Joseph and Mary through the rocky hills 
of old Egypt; the raising of the dead to life 
again. Who, among the gifted train, has not 
seen his brush re-create the scene of the Mas- 
ter blessing little chidren; His walking upon 
the restless waves; His blessing the sick, the 
sorrowful, and the wild maniac in his terrible 
dream. Who has not painted the fields of 
Golgotha and the Cross, the tomb, the angel, 
and the Resurrection. Correggio, the Italian 
artist of the Bolognese school, said, "When. I 
paint the scenes of the Crucifixion my soul 
weeps within me." 

The inside walls of churches were some- 
times used as a canvas for the painting of 
Scriptural scenes. The Carlovingian period 
was especially noted for this kind of Bible 
teaching. For the conversion of the Saxons 
Charlemagne decreed that no new church 
should be considered as completed without a 
wealth of fresco paintings, illustrating scenes 
in the life of Christ. In the conversion of the 
Bulgarians Methodius, the apostle of the 
Sclavs, is said to have brought about a change 
of heart of the, king and his people by a 
beautiful painting of the "Last Judgment. " 

254 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



James Tissot, a gay courtier of France but 
nevertheless a great painter, went to the Holy 
Land in 1886 to paint special scenes in the 
life of Christ. As near as he could he followed 
the footsteps of the Saviour. By the skill of 
his brush he tried to make Him live for us 
again. He painted the Nativity, Christ stand- 
ing on the shores of Galilee, on the banks of 
the Jordan, by the silent tomb of the sleeping 
Lazarus. We see the heartless rabble casting 
lots for His garments, we see Him falling under 
the weight of the Cross. We see the Saints 
standing silently, sorrowful, helpless; we see 
the great shadows folding their sombre wings 
about the light of day; we see a haunting 
cloud of fear darken the brow of the centurion 
as he smote his breast, and said, "Truly this 
man was the Son of God." Tissot returned 
to France, his wild spirit turned into faith 
and gentleness, and a boundless love for 
Christ and sacred things. 

The world has other sacred books or Bibles 
besides this of the Christians. We find the 
Koran of the Mohammedans, the Eddas of 
the Scandinavians, the Tripitakas of the 
Buddhists, the Five Kings of the Chinese, the 
three Vedas of the Hindus, and the Zend 
Avesta. The Eddas of the Scandinavians was 

255 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



first published in the fourteenth century. 
The Tripitakas of the Buddhists contain sub- 
lime morals and rules of life. Their author 
lived and died in the sixth century before 
Christ. The Five Kings of the Chinese con- 
tain the best sayings of the great sages of 
their ancient empire on the ethico-political 
duties of life. The three Vedas are the most 
ancient books of the Hindus, and the students 
of ancient religions believe them to be as old 
as the eleventh century before Christ. The 
Zend Avesta of the Persians is the grandest 
of all these old and sacred books. Zoroaster, 
whose sayings it is said to contain, was born 
in the twelfth century before Christ. It is 
the sacred book of the fire worshipers. In a 
lonely cave, on desolate Mount Hira, Moham- 
med, the Prophet of Islam, had a weird dream. 
He claimed to have heard a voice, crying 
among the sleeping rocks. He listened, be- 
lieving it to be the voice of heaven. "There 
is but one God," it seemed to say, "and 
Mohammed is His Prophet/ ' He awoke to 
life, resolved to obey the summons, to live 
and to battle for the Lord. In Mohammed's 
brain the seeds of the Koran were sown. It 
is a curious work. It contains quotations 
from the Old and New Testaments, the 

256 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Talmud and the Gospel of St. Barnabas. A 
strange mixture of superstition and pagan 
philosophy also mystifies its pages. Some 
sages of the Mohammedan faith claim to have 
read it seven thousand times. 

Compared to these sacred books of the 
heathen, how nobly the Bible stands aloof, 
over and above all! It is as the gold to the 
dross. In faith, in love and righteousness 
how God-like, and yet how plain; in depth of 
thought and wisdom how immeasurable and 
wholly unsurpassed. It is a great poem of 
Life and Eternity, an anthem sung by angels, 
that all men may hear and live. 

I am loath to lay down my pen. The 
arduous labour, with its constant care and 
deep research, has not been without its charm, 
its pleasing hour. Prophetically, I see the 
Bible, clothed in its beautiful solemnity, 
blessing the ages to come, as it has blessed 
them in the past. I see it in the gilded palace, 
in the courts and temples of classic lore, still 
enthroned as the Book of Books. I see it 
down in the dismal haunts of poverty, with 
its message of hope and love, where distress 
and sore affliction seek from its pages rest 
and surcease of sorrow. I see it by the cradle 
when the babe, fresh from the hands of its 

257 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Maker, is christened and dedicated to God 
and a holy life. I see it caressed by feeble, 
palsied hands when, with silvered locks and 
vision dimmed, age lingers to read of the Mas- 
ter and the life to come. For is it not the 
Star that lights the way of the beautiful Life 
Divine, the Guide that leads to the City of 
the Great White Throne ! 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Authorities Consulted 

Dictionary of Christian Antiquities, London, 
1893. 

Thompson's " Facsimiles of Ancient Manu- 
scripts;' 1873-82. 

Bible Manuscripts in the British Museum, 
1901. 

Gregory's "History of the Christian Church," 
1832. 

Hastings "Encyclopedia of Religion and 
Ethics," Edinburgh, 1908. 

Mosheim's " Church History" 1741. 

Sanday's u Gospels in the Second Century" 
1874. 

Scott's "The Making of the Gospels" 1905. 

Harris' "New Testament Autographs," 1882. 

Allen's "Notes on Abbreviations in Greek 
Manuscripts, with Facsimiles," Oxford, 1889. 

Kenyon's "Our Bible and the Ancient Manu- 
scripts," 1897. 

258 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Smith's "Bible Dictionary," New York, 1872. 

Schaff -Herzog's 1 'Religious Encyclopedia' ' 
edition of 1908. 

Smith's "Old Testament in the Jewish 
Church," New York, 1901. 

Brown's u History of the English Bible," 1911. 

Bagster's "The Bible of Every Land" Lon- 
don, 1861. 

Mombert's "English Versions of the Bible" 
London, 1907. 

Heaton's "The Bible of the Reformation" 
London, 1910. 

Pollard's Records of the English Bible" 
Oxford, 1911. 

Hilprecht's "Recent Researches in Bible 
Lands" 1903. 

Lovett's "The Printed English Bible" Lon- 
don, 1909. 

Hogarth's "Authority and Archeology," 1809. 

Stanton's "The Gospels as Historical Docu- 
ments" 1903. 

Von Soden's "History of Early English 
Literature" 1906. 

Cheyne and Black's "Encyclopedia Biblica," 
4 vols., 1899-1903. 

Edgar's "The Bibles of England" 1889. 

Dean Burgon's "The Revision Revised" 
London, 1883. 

Ramsay's "The Church in the Roman Em- 
pire" New York, 1894. 

Weizacker's "Apostolic Age" London, 1894. 

Sitterly's "Manuscripts, the Mechanical and 

259 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Literary Process Involved in Their Preserva- 
tion," New York, 1889. 

Jewish Encyclopedia, edition of 1903. 

Catholic Encyclopedia, edition of 1907. 

Driver's " Introduction to the Literature of 
the Old Testament" New York, 1910. 

Jacobus 1 "Roman Catholic and Protestants' 
Bible Compared" New York, 1908. 

Sayce's "The Bible and The Monuments " 
1906. 

Petrie's "Egypt and Israel" 1910. 

Schurer's "History of the Jewish People in 
The Time of Christ" 5 vols., New York, 1896. 

Angus' "Encyclopedic Handbook of The 
Bible" London and Edinburgh. 

Wellhausen's "The Synoptic Gospels" 1903, 
1905. 

Ramsay's "St. Paul The Traveller and Roman 
Citizen" New York, 1898. 

Orello Cone's "St. Paul The Man" 1898. 

Canon Farrar's "Life and Work of St. Paul" 
New York, 1902. 

Lumby's "Epistles of St. Peter" 1893. 

Mayor's "Epistles of St. Jude and Second 
Epistle of St. Peter." 

Luthhardt's "St. John, Author of The Fourth 
Gospel" Edinburgh, 1875. 

Du Buisson's "Origin of the Gospel of St. 
Mark" Oxford, 1896. 

Broadus' "Commentaries " 1881-1905. 

Lives of the Apostles by Weiss, Julicher, and 
Moffatt. * 

260 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



Ernest Kenan's "The Apostles" Boston, 
1898. 

Frey's "Tyndale's Translation of the New 
Testament" London, 1862. 

Hort's "Romans and Ephesians" 1895. 

Hastings "Dictionary of the Bible" 1904. 

Matthew Arnold's "God and the Bible" 1884. 

Robertson' s "Epochs in the Life of St. Paul" 
1909. 

Lightfoot's "Essays on Supernatural Reli- 
gion" London, 1889. 

"The International Standard Bible Encyclo- 
pedia" Chicago, 1915. 

Encyclopedia Brittanica, eleventh edition. 

Stoughton's "Our English Bible, Its Transla- 
tions and Translators/ ' 1878. 

Scrivener's "A Plain Introduction to the 
Criticism of the New Testament" London, 1894. 

Sanday's "Criticism of the Fourth Gospel" 
Oxford, 1905. 



261 



APPENDIX. 



Interesting and Curious Facts 
About the Bible 

HE New Testament, which was originally 



A written in Greek or in Aramaic, differs 
from the Old in many respects. The Old 
Testament writings range over a period of 
a thousand years in their composition. The 
old patriarchs and prophets were necessarily 
slow in composing sacred books. The instru- 
ments and arts of writing were difficult to 
obtain and hard to understand. To compose 
and to write one book often consumed the 
lifetime of the author, the work being done 
with great labour, both physical and intellec- 
tual. 

The time consumed in writing the New 
Testament, from Paul's first epistles to the 
Revelation of John The Divine, was about 
sixty years. This was not due to better 
facilities, nor to better systems of education 
and learning, but to the fact that it was a 
momentous period in the world's history. 
The crucifixion of Christ had wrought a 
revolution in the hearts and minds of men 
from the king on his throne to the peasant 




262 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



who ate his bread in silence and sorrow. The 
religion of the Master, built upon the founda- 
tions of love, justice and mercy, appealed to 
men in all the walks of life. It seriously 
threatened the existence of creeds founded 
upon wealth, pride and force. It was a 
religion for all men, beautiful in its simplicity, 
the balm of affliction, the hope and consola- 
tion in death. Hence men's minds drifted 
into new seas of spiritual thought, and 
awakened within them a thirst for a true 
knowledge of God and of heavenly things. 
Many loved the new religion. The pagan 
philosophers ridiculed it; the rabbis hated it; 
all — whether friend or foe — were deeply inter- 
ested in the probabilities of its rise or its fall. 
An hour so intense and vital brought about 
a condition marvelous in its possibilities for 
a warfare of creeds and opinions. Is it any 
wonder that books should be written, sermons 
preached, and churches founded so soon after 
the resurrection? 

The writers of the New Testament were all, 
or nearly all, Jews, and while employing the 
Greek language they exhibited many traces 
of their native idiom, so that their writings 
present more or less of a Hebraic coloring. 
The body, it has been said, is Greek; the spirit 

263 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



is clearly Hebrew. The collection consists of 
twenty-seven separate writings. Five of the 
works are in the form of historical narratives, 
four of which emanate from different points 
of view of the story of Christ's eventful life. 

Twenty-one books are epistolary. Thir- 
teen of these bear the name of St. Paul as 
their author, nine being addressed to Chris- 
tian communities, three are known as Pastoral 
epistles, and one to a private individual, 
Philemon. Seven other letters or epistles are 
known as catholic or general, letters addressed 
to churches and Christian communities every- 
where — James; Jude; First and Second Peter; 
First, Second and Third John. The remain- 
ing work is the Apocalypse or Revelation of 
St. John. 

An interesting compilation, said to be the 
fruits of three years' arduous labour by the 
celebrated Dr. Home, and given in his Intro- 
duction to the Study of the Holy Scriptures, 
we append here as an example of what can be 
accomplished by application and deep re- 
search for curious facts: 

The Old Testament consists of 39 books; 929 
chapters; 23,214 verses; 593,493 words. 

The New Testament consists of 27 books; 
260 chapters; 7,959 verses; 181,253 words. 

264 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



The whole Bible consists of 66 books; 1,189 
chapters; 31,173 verses; 773,746 words. 

The Apocrypha consists of 14 books; 184 
chapters; 6,031 verses; 125,185 words. 

The middle book of the Old Testament is 
Proverbs. The middle chapter is Job XXIX. 
The middle verse is II Chronicles XX, 
between verses 17 and 19. The shortest book 
is Obadiah. The shortest verse is 1 Chron- 
icles, 1:25. The word "and" occurs 35,543 
times. Ezra VII :21 contains all the letters 
of the English alphabet. The word "Selah" 
occurs 73 times and only in the poetical books. 
Second Kings XIX and Isaiah XXXVII are 
alike. The book of Esther does not contain 
the words "Lord" or "God." The last two 
verses of II Chronicles and the opening verses 
of the book of Ezra are alike. 

In the New Testament the middle book is 
II Thessalonians. The middle chapter is 
between Romans XIII and XV. The middle 
verse is Acts XVII :1 7. The smallest book 
is II John. The shortest verse is John XI :35. 
The word "and" occurs 10,684 times. The 
name "Jesus" occurs nearly 700 times in the 
Gospels and Acts, but in the epistles less than 
70 times. The term "Jesus Christ" occurs 
only 5 times in the Gospels. 

265 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



In the full Bible the middle books are Jonah 
and Micah. The middle and smallest chapter 
is Psalms CXVIII:8. The middle line is 
II Chronicles IV:16; the largest book is the 
Psalms of David ; the largest chapter is Psalms 
CXIX. The word "Jehovah" occurs 6,855 
times. The number of the authors of the 
Bible is 50. The word "and" occurs 46,227 
times. Protestants and Catholics do not 
agree as to the books that ought to be admitted 
into the canon, or list of writings belonging to 
the Old Testament. A certain number of 
books, classed by the latter as sacred, under 
the head of Apocrypha, are called by the 
Protestants "deutero-canonical." Apocrypha 
is a word derived from the Greek and means, 
primarily, hidden, secret. The books called 
Apocryphal, and recognized by the Roman 
Catholic church as divinely inspired, are as 
follows: 

1. I Esdras; 2. II Esdras; 3.Tobit; 4. Ju- 
dith; 5. Additions to the Book of Esther; 
6. The Wisdom of Solomon; 7. The Wisdom 
of Jesus the Son of Sirach, or Ecclesiastes ; 
8. Baruch; 9. The Song of the Three Holy 
Children; 10. The History of Susanna; 
11. The History of the Destruction of Bel 
and Dragon; 12. The Prayer of Manasses 

266 



THE BUILDING OF THE BIBLE 



King of Judah; 13. The First Book of Mac- 
cabees; 14. The Second Book of Maccabees. 

Some of these books are beautifully written, 
and in the early years of the Christian era 
they were regarded with special veneration. 
Centuries ago they ceased to find favour 
with Protestants everywhere, as evidences 
w r ere wanting to establish their claims to 
divine origin. 



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